Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair
by DaveO
Summary: The Dragon's Lair covers Anna Grayson's second year at the American wizarding school Castlewood Academy and a continuation of the first book Anna Grayson and The Order of Merlin. Several poachers are stealing dragon eggs from the Cliffs of Knowtor and from the legendary dragon's lair as part of the Dark Lord's plan for war.
1. 1 - Preface

Preface D12

Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair

Forward (Draft 12)

_Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair_ is the second book of the Anna Grayson series created by Katie O'Brien. The first book entitled, _Anna Grayson and The Order of Merlin_ was conceived and written by Katie during her treatments for Leukemia and recovery in the hospital. Unfortunately, Katie passed away just six days after completing _The Order of Merlin_ in 2005 at the age of thirteen. Her book was an in-canon fan fiction piece based on the J.K. Rowling Harry Potter series of books and is meant to run in parallel with _Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire _in the Rowling timeline. It was Katie's original intention to write four books in the Anna Grayson series to run in parallel with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books four through seven. With Katie's untimely passing, her father Dave O'Brien decided to take Katie's notes and outlines and write the second Anna Grayson volume in her memory. This second book is entitled, _Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair_ and runs in parallel with the fifth book given in the Harry Potter series, _The Order of the Phoenix_. Dave lives in Westminster Maryland with Katie's mother Rita and her younger brother Christopher.

Prefatory Remarks

By the Author's Father

I'd like to take this time to thank Katie's friends and especially her readers for your inspiration and support during the time my daughter was writing her previous Anna Grayson book, _The Order of Merlin_. Although some years have passed now since we lost my daughter, not a day goes by that her family doesn't think of Katie and her wonderful stories. For my part, I was especially privileged to act as her editor for many of the stories that she wrote and I was always amazed and humbled by her skills with the pen.

A few months after her passing, I was looking through Katie's writing box. Reading through the many unfinished stories there, I'm always reminded of the nights we would sit alone together to discuss the many twists and plots she wanted to bring forth in her tales. Reading from her box both strengthens and saddens me. I'm reminded of our time together – a daughter sharing her yarns, a father listening in awe of her skill, but saddened too by our loss. The thought of so many stories, sitting in a box unfinished, makes me miss her all the more.

It was during one of these times while I was reading through her box, looking to relive a moment together, that I came across two things that truly amazing me. The first was a premise Katie had written for what would have been the second Anna Grayson book. While I knew it had always been Katie's ambition to write four Anna Grayson volumes to coincide with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books four through seven, I never knew she had actually created a premise for anything following _The Order of Merlin_. But there it was: Anna Grayson's second year at Castlewood Academy laid out before my eyes, step by step, a new plot to a story I had grown to love. The characters were all there as well – the Grayson family, Gwen, Sarah Bell, Professor Thordarson, TJ, and of course the ever present Captain Dunning. And there were some very intriguing new characters as well, all wonderfully described right there in her premise.

The second thing I found was a prologue she had written for the second book. Fourteen carefully typed pages in multi-draft form. Thinking I had found the treasure of a lifetime, I sat on Katie's bed and began to read through the prologue for a book she would have called, _Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair_. I found it to be wonderfully creative, funny and a little frightening, but as it always was with Katie's writing style, my daughter had once again found a way to recapture my imagination. While the prologue wasn't short, I immediately found myself wanting more. It was a wonderful piece of work, presented by a talented, young writer working to improve her skills in a way that even surprised her proud father.

After sharing these pieces of literary treasure with the rest of our family, I thought it might be possible to write Katie's second Anna Grayson book in her memory and for her readers. To test this theory, I once again found myself in the role of beta-reader and editor as I worked through Katie's prologue, the portions of chapter one that she had left behind, and the rest of her premise. To me, those were the days delivered by God: a father and daughter together again and sharing her ideas about the Anna Grayson character.

After my review and a few edits of her prologue, I reached out to several of Katie's most dedicated readers to inform them of what I had found. Immediately, there was great excitement from her friends both here at home and those throughout the world who, like myself, had come to love the characters found at Castlewood Academy. After sharing the prologue and the first chapter with them, it wasn't long before several requests started to come in to complete the rest of the book. As it turned out, this had become a very difficult moment for me personally, because if anybody was going to take what was in the premise and write the second book… I thought it could only be me. After all, I was Katie's reader and editor; I was the one who spent all those nights alone with my daughter in the hospital, laughing and talking about her characters and what she had planned to bring to their story in the three books that would eventually follow the _Order of Merlin_ and her recovery. I also had a completed premise that no one else was supposed to see and her chapter outlines. Yes… if writing her second book was to be done, I really felt secure in knowing the task should fall to me. However, there were some very distinct challenges with my taking on this work.

In all fairness to Katie's readers, it must be said that I am not the writer my Katie was in life. In fact, to say that Katie and I "are both writers" is like saying a Sequoia and a potted plant are both trees. In short, my ambition to take what was in Katie's writing box and turn it into a book was more than just a little daunting. It was nearly impossible to think that I could extend the Anna Grayson story through the character's second year at Castlewood Academy in a way that would appear seamless to Katie's readers while conveying what my daughter wanted to deliver in her story. Setting aside most of my fears, I finally set to work on the project in March of 2006, almost one year to the day after Katie's passing. And in the year that followed, I dove headlong into her premise and chapter outlines, looking to understand if my desire to write the second book was even remotely possible.

The first challenge arrived quickly. While our Katie was known to her family and friends as a rather carefree person, when it came to fleshing out the themes within her stories and the outlines to support them, she was surprisingly and exceedingly analytical in her approach. She was very clear in what we wanted in her themes and within her written premise, and was systematic in her approach when it came to connecting the dots. She had spreadsheets and PowerPoint diagrams with pie-shaped wedges that allowed her to continuously resample her themes throughout the book. Some of her readers have commented on how many things seem to be going on all at the same time within her stories, and everybody marveled at how everything seemed to come together so nicely in the end. These comments embedded in many of her reviews always made Katie smile, because this was no accident. She worked very hard at making that part of her work successful. Needless to say, her "process" and analytical approach to theme building took me a while to understand as I spent the rest of 2006 working my way through her material.

At this time I should pause to say that it was always very important to Katie to adhere to the Harry Potter canon when it came to writing her fan fiction. While many have said the Anna Grayson story is fairly unique in that it takes place in a different country and in a completely separate school within the Harry Potter wizarding world, the real genius in my daughter's work was that it still remained true to Joanne Rowling's original story. Several of my daughter's friends did suggest that her story was so far removed from Harry Potter and Hogwarts that she might even try publishing the Anna Grayson work as a separate wizarding story altogether, but Katie always refused. _The Order of Merlin_ is and would always be a Harry Potter fan fiction piece, and as such, any thought of publication for profit was completely out of the question. This also meant that while I was trying to extend her work into a second book, I had to adhere to the same rules that Katie always insisted on from the very beginning: If _The Dragon's Lair_ was meant to be a continuation of the Anna Grayson story, then it should continue as a piece of Harry Potter fan fiction and remain within the canon of Rowling's original tale.

I actually started writing in 2007 with a prayer I'd be given what Katie intended for her readers, and for the next six years I worked on _The Dragon's Lair_ almost continually. I will admit, however, that I was forced to make several stops along the way to reevaluate what I was doing and to work attentively on several gaps I found undone in the story's premise that were exceedingly troubling for me. These gaps were not exactly large, but for somebody like me who wanted to remain true to Katie's purpose, they turned out to be enormous in scope. I can only surmise that Katie wasn't given the time she needed to complete all of details given in her premise, and it took another full year after the manuscript was completed to work through the remaining gaps necessary to see the book finished.

After the book was completed, it took another year to work through all the redrafts. To say that Katie was fond of redrafting her work is like saying there might be some music in Beethoven's ninth symphony; it's an understatement of MONUMENTAL proportions. As her editor, it would drive me crazy to see her take a chapter that I had already edited and labelled as "complete" and watch her turn around, tear it apart, and redraft it again and again and again… and yet again. In _The Order of Merlin_, for example, there were no less than twenty drafts done for each of the forty-three chapters. No… I am not kidding you. Some of the chapters were redrafted over thirty times. It was really mind-blowing to see this simple, carefree daughter of mine become something of an explosively stubborn personality when it came to selecting her words. And after she published a chapter on line, she would become extremely angrily with herself if a reader found an error. Given this approach to her writing, I've been continually redrafting the chapters of _The Dragon's Lair_ for the purposes of spelling and grammar right up to the time I find myself writing this preface. Lord only knows how many drafts the _forward_ will take. I honestly couldn't see myself releasing this second book until I have at least ten drafts of each of the chapters completed. Katie would say that's not nearly enough, so I beg your indulgence in advance and await your comments. Katie would say I'm turning all of you into beta-readers. Perhaps this is true, so I will admit candidly again what I said in the beginning: I am not a writer equal in skill to my daughter. It took me seven years to write this book; that alone should tell you something.

In closing, I wanted to thank all of Katie's readers once again. You cannot imagine how important you were to my daughter. Your support and reviews of her work during her time in the hospital and recovery at home sustained her. You helped to keep her working and to finish a story that had become so important to her. Your encouragement played a strong part in providing the Anna Grayson character as a lasting gift to Katie's family and friends; something of my daughter we can cherish forever. We cannot express the gratitude we have for you.

With our thanks, I would now like to present Katie's second book, _Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair_ to you. I hope it strengthens you as it does our family, and provides the image of an eager, young writer, seeking to build something special from out of her inspired imagination. I give you now the last of what Katie had to offer to all of us of Anna Grayson. God Bless you all.

Very Sincerely, Dave O'Brien

Not a writer… just Katie's daddy

234


	2. 1 - Prologue

Prologue D31

Anna Grayson and The Dragon's Lair

Book 2 of The Anna Grayson Series

By Katie O'Brien

Prologue (Draft 31)

ONE

It was midday in the Shadowed Forest. Forbidden to most and feared by all but fools, two men moved cautiously through the gloom, each laboring to carry a burlap bag over their shoulder. Although the bags were not heavy, they held tight to the knotted ends with both hands. They were very happy about their newly acquired, but ill-gotten gains.

The leader of this misbegotten gang of fools, which started the day with three, was Thomas Deiver; a small time hood from the American west coast, little known for more than his dreams of making it big at the expense of any Muggle who fell into his path. Although his ambitions had always been bigger than his reason, Thomas had taken a step up in the level of audacity with his crime that day. He had a buyer waiting for the stolen items in their possession, and the galleons gained in the transaction would finally put him in the black for the first time in his adult life.

Suddenly, one of the men stumbled and almost fell. "Careful, you fool!" Deiver yelled angrily at the other. "I didn't come all this way just to have you break one of them with your clumsiness."

"Sorry, Tommy," said the second man, who adjusted the tail of the bag between his neck and shoulder to continue. "God, these things are hot… mine's still smoking."

Samuel Cragmyer was a bit older than Deiver, but always defaulted to Tommy's _wisdom_ on this kind of job. It wasn't just because Sam was bit slower than the average wizard; the two had known each other ever since they were children, growing up in the remote village of Charmston near the Canadian border in Washington State. Their fathers were friends in a village filled with the _Scrub_ of the Wizarding world's outer fringe.

The children of this village, like all of their parents, were called _Squibs_,those born without magical ability. Centuries of mixing with the non-magical population, those they called Muggles, had lessened many Wizarding families to the point where their own magical blood had been diluted to near non-existence. These families eventually banded together in small communities throughout the country, in fear of the watchful eye of the Ministry of Magic. Although powerless now as wizards and witches, these village families still had something the regular Muggle population did not: They knew of the existence of magic and how those calling themselves wizards sought to use it.

Being born a squib in a scrub village was an unusually humble life even by Muggle standards. Unable to participate fully in the Wizarding world for lack of ability, the people of these communities devoted themselves to a simple existence, knowing they dare not reveal their lost magical heritage to anyone; for the punishment of such a crime was indeed great.

Once in a great while, however, something truly wondrous would happen in these small non-magical places. A child was born as a reminder of their magical past, a true wizard. As rare as a squib born to a pure blood family, these new wizards were celebrated by the entire village as something of a miracle. More than a token of their proud heritage, the village of squibs knew the presence of a new sorcerer in their magically dark community would keep the Ministry away. For if a Scrub village went without a new wizard for more than two generations, wizard law required the memory of all its citizens be obliterated of any remaining knowledge of magic's existence. After that, only the _Tonnanarsus_, or The Book of Births, would magically record the names of those born in America with magical talent. As a result, only the family of the newly born sorcerer would come to know of magic's existence once more.

This path to extinction for a squib community was an unfortunate but necessary practice in keeping the ways of magic a secret from the Muggles. It had always been the way of things, and maybe it was this fact alone that had set Thomas and Samuel down the road to a series of disappointments in the scrub town in which they were born.

Still, at Samuel's birth, the village joyously and ceremoniously celebrated its first wizard in nearly fifty years. There were parties and speeches, honoring and toasting the Cragmyer clan for their magical gift to the community, but each family celebrated privately as well. For it also meant the _wolves_ of the Ministry would be prohibited from creeping in like thieves in the night and robbing them of their remaining memories and magical heritage.

And then, even before this first miracle could be fully absorbed into the shared consciousness of the scrub community, a second happened just a few months later. Thomas was born a wizard to another family just two houses away, and it seemed God himself had moved to directly intervene in the village's purpose and survival. So long as these boys continued to live within town in which they were born, the squib of Charmston knew the wolves would be kept at bay.

But as the boys grew to become adults, their celebrated lives soon fell into disrepute as their lust for crime shamed both their families and eventually the entire village. Consequently, a meeting was held in the local church one late, autumn night and it was decided the boys should leave. It would seem the community would rather see their famous sons gone and risk the wolves rather than to suffer any more of their sinful deeds. And so, two days later, Thomas Deiver and Samuel Cragmyer were reluctantly escorted to the edge of the village with a request never to return. And just after midnight that very night, the Ministry moved in to expunge the village of its remaining memories of magic's existence.

Perhaps it was the guilt of their home town's fate that lead the boys to a life of crime in the years that followed, or maybe it was because they couldn't seem to make a proper living for themselves afterward. In reality it was probably the awareness that, while they might have been treated as icons at home, to the rest of the Wizarding world their magical abilities were considered poor at best. In the end, they roamed from town to town, taking advantage of the Muggles wherever their travels took them for the sake of food and shelter.

The Ministry was watching them closely, of course, and had given them several warnings regarding their criminal exploits. They even spent some time in wizard jail the year following a series of robberies in San Francisco. Yes - the boys had fallen far, but in their mind today was the day everything would finally be put to right.

Sam spoke again. "Where do you think Ollie's gone to?" The man stopped to adjust his sack again, looking back down the path for their missing partner.

"Who knows; we got separated at the cliffs," Thomas replied uncaringly. He could see his friend's worried expression. "Now… come on; don't worry, Sammy. He knew the trail we were going to take back well enough. He'll be along."

Just then they heard a yell and the two men turned to look back through the gloom of the woods behind them. There was a rush of wind over their heads and the sound reminiscent of a ship's sail unfurling high above the trees. The two men immediately dropped to crouch low, their eyes scanning the heavens through the blue and green openings in the canopy above them. They looked fearfully at each other, holding their breath. There was another rush of wind over their heads again, this time going in the opposite direction.

A third man unexpectedly came crashing through the brush behind them, laboring to carry two sacks over his shoulders. He was running toward them in a panic.

"Oliver!" yelled Sam, grinning at his friend's approach. "Over here!" The man didn't stop to acknowledge their presence in any way. Without saying a word, he lumbered straight passed them.

"Oliver?"

Thomas looked at Sam contemptuously. "Where'd you find this guy, in a hospital ward for wayward loons?"

"Oliver!" Sam yelled. "Wait!" He looked back. "Come on, Tommy. We have to catch him before he gets lost." Sam rushed onward, but it didn't take long to catch the fleeing man laboring as he was to carry twice the load of his friends.

"Oliver… stop! Where are you going?" Samuel caught his friend by the shoulder and wheeled him around, pinning his back against a tree. "Hold on!" he barked with a mixed giggle. "What's the hurry?" Samuel's smile fell as he stared into his friend's eyes. They looked wild, almost lost in panic.

"Ollie…? What's the matter with you?"

Thomas finally caught up. He sat his bag down on the ground and bent over, wheezing and clutching the stabbing stitch in his side. He glanced up wincingly at Oliver Dishong, who looked like a man ready to collapse from exertion, his two sacks held tight in his sweaty grip.

"Well — well," Thomas said with a chuckle. "It would seem, Sammy, that your friend here was a bit greedy. Here we are struggling to carry one and he has the audacity to grab two." Thomas took a deep breath and straightened. "You look tired, ol' man; I'd be happy to carry one of those sacks for you if you'd like." Thomas laughed, expecting the man to tell him to go straight to hell. Oliver glared back at him, a look of absent-minded terror moving across his sweaty face.

"Have them!" he snapped, throwing one of the sacks uncaringly down at Thomas's feet.

He began looking up into the sky, searching seemingly for something invisible above them. Reaching into his shirt, Oliver took out a crucifix connected to a thin chain around his neck. He kissed the cross and blessed himself, still looking fearfully into the shadow-filled canopy. Thomas and Sam were both taken aback by the uncaring generosity displayed by the newest member of their group.

"Well… if you say so, friend," Thomas replied coyly, reaching down to grab up the now discarded sack. "Shame you had to carry it all this way just to give it up like…"

"There's something wrong with him, Tommy," Sam injected worriedly, staring into Oliver's panic-stricken face.

Thomas smirked. "The only thing wrong with him is he's taken more than he can carry. Just give him a rest and we'll be off before you can say…"

"I'm serious, Tommy. Look at his eyes."

Thomas groaned. Still clutching the pain in his side, he blandly stepped forward to look over Sam's shoulder. Oliver seemed lost, terrorized by fear, his anxious glances darting everywhere at once. The smile on Thomas's face fell. The whites of the man's eyes were blood red and tiny veins of green were slowly creping inward toward his dark pupils.

"God…" Thomas whispered. He immediately dropped his sacks and grabbed at the one Oliver still had draped over his back. "Get rid of that!" he demanded, tossing it angrily to the ground. "Take off his pack — quickly!"

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Just do it!"

Sam did as he was told, stripping away Oliver's gear and belts as Thomas did the same. When he was free of his own pack, Thomas pulled it around to open it. He removed a silk pouch and a wand, stood, and grabbed Oliver by the shoulders. He began scanning over the man's body, looking for any rips or tears in his clothing.

"What is it? Whatcha lookin' for, Tommy?"

Thomas quickly spun their friend around and pinned his front to the tree. And there he found it, a bloody gash in the lower part of the man's shirt. Thomas stepped back, almost too afraid to look, but then swiftly moved forward again.

"Lay him down! Quickly — get him on the ground!" Working together, the two men put the man down and then Thomas yanked up Oliver's shirt.

"Dear God!" gasped Sam. "What the hell?"

There was a very long and ugly wound in the man's back near his waist. It was flayed, swollen, and oozed an iridescent green spew.

"Damn! He's been bitten; the fool's gone and gotten himself bitten!"

A bubble of disgorged stench oozed from out of the ripped muscle and popped, splashing blood across the man's back.

"Oh… God," Sam cried, covering his nose. "Why does it stink so bad?"

"Poison!" Thomas yelped. He grabbed the silk pouch and began to fumble with its silver strings. He removed a tiny flask of blue liquid, popped its cork, and quickly dumped its contents into Oliver's open wound. The man screamed in pain, thrashing his arms and legs as Thomas tried to steady him.

"Hold him, Sammy. Hold him down!" Sam did as he was told, turning his head and retching from the yellow smoke now reeking the foulest stench from his friend's back.

"Hold him still so I can finish it," Thomas yelled, reaching for his wand. He lowered its tip down into the wound and began to chant the appropriate charm. Nothing happened.

"Damn! It isn't working. It won't heal…"

"Why not? Why isn't it working, Tommy? Why?"

Thomas looked around them, gritting his teeth. "It's this place. Magic doesn't work here. We're still too close to the cliffs." He stuffed the flask and his wand into his pack again. "Come on! We've got to move him further away."

"How far do we have to go before magic starts working again?" Sam asked, as Thomas stood to push his arms through the loops of his pack.

"I don't know… another mile, maybe two. If we can get him far enough away, there's still a chance we can save him. Come on — get'im to his feet. We have to go!"

They hoisted their friend up by his arms and he screamed in agony.

"I know it hurts, friend, but we've got to move you to make you better." Sam stooped down to retrieve their gear.

"Leave it!" Thomas scolded him. "Just take the sacks."

The two men hoisted their friend up by his arms once again and began to stumble forward through the woods, carrying the four sacks as they went along. After a time, Sam's legs gave out and the three men fell to the ground in a heap.

"Try it… now… Tommy. See… if the magic… is… is working yet," Sam wheezed, rolling onto his back to catch his breath. Thomas raised his wand into the air.

"_Relashio!"_ he bellowed in a winded shout. Nothing happened. "Still… not… far enough," he panted, dropping his arm to the leaf-littered dirt with a thud. "Come on… on your feet. We've got to keep moving."

Suddenly, there was a horrible screech above the trees as something huge sailed over their heads. The two men froze. Holding his breath, Samuel immediately thought his heart was beating much too loud through his chest.

"Tommy….?"

"Shhhhh! Quiet, you idiot," Thomas shot back. "Not… another… sound…" They waited, looking up into the canopy for any noise, any hint of movement. Oliver groaned.

"We've got to get him out of here," Sam whined, rolling his friend over to look at him again. The veins in the man's face were bright green now, and his body was visibly shaking with fever. The putrid smell was still wafting off of his back like yellow steam. "Come on, Tommy. Let's go!"

"I said — shut up!" Thomas snapped, still trying to keep his voice to a whisper. He scanned the heavens once more, listening for anything unexpected. They waited there another thirty seconds while Oliver continued to moan.

"All right… we're off."

They lifted the wounded man onto his feet again and took up the sacks. Grabbing Oliver by the back of his belt, they dragged their friend a few steps onward when, suddenly, there was a terrible crash above their heads. The sound of breaking trees, ripping and splintering, filled the air before something hit the ground in front of them with a loud and earthshaking BOOM.

The men squinted through the falling dust and dirt around them, holding their breath to keep from choking on the drifting debris. There was a low rumble that seemed to vibrate the very ground under their feet. They slowly looked up and saw two glowing orbs through the dust-filled haze, and then a monstrous creature stepped forward. It was a dragon.

"Vipertooth…" Thomas whispered fearfully.

"Oh God — Oh God — Oh God…" Sam sniveled in a terrified whimper.

"Don't… move…" Thomas warned his friend. "If you move… we're all dead."

The dragon was small compared to most of its breed, but standing a full ten feet above the three men without magic to protect them, it looked like the devil's own version of crouching death. Its smooth-scaled, copper body glistened in the sunlight now pouring through the hole torn open in the upper canopy. It had short black horns on top of its head and terrible yellow fangs that dripped pools of iridescent stench. There was an ugly, jagged scar that stretched across the belly of the beast from some previous battle. The dragon unfurled its tattered wings and, pointing its hooked thumbs skyward, it roared angrily down upon the men. Sparkling, green spit flew from its mouth, spattering the trees around Thomas and Samuel who were now cowering in fear.

Oliver's eyes popped opened, and all at once he let out a scream at the sight of the creature looming before them.

"Dragon!" he yelled, pushing his friends away from him. Stumbling backward, the man fell to the ground, screamed again, and then quickly got to his feet. "Dragon!" he shrieked, turning away to run.

The dragon shook its head and bellowed angrily before moving with surprising speed to give chase. Thomas and Sam dove to the side as the great beast passed between them, its thundering steps bouncing their bodies off the ground as it crashed through the trees after their friend.

Sam quickly got to his feet. "No, Oliver! Don't run!" he screamed out. "Come back!"

"DRAGON… DRAGON!" the man screamed, disappearing into the woods with the dragon in howling pursuit. There was the sound of breaking trees and another hideous roar.

"NO! AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

There was a loud crack, a burst of bright light bouncing through the trees around them, and then there was only silence. Thomas and Sam stood in stunned shock at what had just happened.

Finally, deciding the worst, Thomas picked up two of the sacks. "Come on… let's go."

"But… what about Oliver? We just can't leave him…"

"He's dead, Sammy!" Thomas snapped back angrily. "And unless you want to end your life the same way, I suggest you get moving!" He turned and started to limp away.

Sam stood there looking back in the direction his friend had disappeared. He finally bent down to pick up his sacks and then slowly turned to follow Thomas through the trees.

After traveling silently for another mile, the two men collapsed again. Thomas took out his wand and pointed it down at his boots.

"_Scourgify!"_ he said, in a panted whisper. Instantly, his boots were made clean. He smiled, breathing heavily as he lifted to look over at his friend.

"We did it, Sammy. We're out. Magic… is… working again." He looked up from one elbow into the sky around them. "And the two of us together can certainly hold off any Vipertooth that might show up now." He smiled and patted his friend on the leg. "We did it, Sammy! They said it couldn't be done, and we did it! Just another few miles over that rise and we'll pick up our doors and be out of this bloody valley faster than you can say, 'Get your galleons.'"

"Poor Oliver," Sam whimpered, in a heart felt groan. "We were gonna go to the races tonight in Spellsburg. We were going to bet on the _Thorses_."

"Yeah, well… look at the bright side…" Thomas got to his feet and reached down. "Our profits have just doubled. Come on, let's get out of here." He hoisted his friend up by the arm. "If we're going to make it back to Spellsburg before dark, we'd better get going."

"Good evening, gentlemen."

Thomas and Sam whipped about to find a slight figure in a purple hooded robe standing in the path in front of them. The unknown stranger was leaning against a tree.

"What the…? Who the hell are you?" Thomas snapped, pulling out his wand again. The new arrival straightened and then stepped forward. Stopping a few paces in front of them, the face of the stranger was hidden in the folds of their hood.

"You men are trespassing on protected lands. You're under arrest for the poaching of dragon eggs from the cliffs of Knowtor… from the _Dragon's Lair_."

Thomas looked at Sam and then smirked. "Oh… is that right? Well… I had no idea we were on _protected lands_, and we weren't poaching anything. We found these eggs under a tree back there in the forest." He pointed his wand at the stranger. "You know what they say: _Finders-keepers._"

"Tommy… do you know what that is?" Sam said, pointing at the figure blocking their way; there was a touch of awe invading his voice. "That there's… one of them Guardians. I've heard of them before, but I never thought I'd ever get to see one."

Thomas looked unimpressed as he turned to face the stranger once more. "Is that so? A Guardian, huh? Well, I was wondering about the funky robes," he replied, jokingly, spying the thick embroidery of gold depicting a dragon on their left shoulder. He crinkled up his nose. "You ought to find yourself a new color, friend. Purple is way out of style, even for a soft spoken gentleman like yourself."

"I am the assigned protector of the Lair and the entire Shadowed Forest surrounding you. Everything in which you encroach is under my watch and guard. You will surrender those eggs and follow me to the nearest detention center for processing."

The Guardian lowered their hood to reveal a beautiful woman standing before them. She had long, blonde hair and a look of unruffled calm on her very pretty face. Although she was probably in her early forties, her preserved beauty could easily pass for a maiden fifteen years younger.

"Well now," Thomas swooned, gazing appreciatively at the woman. "Under normal circumstances, I might suggest a candlelit dinner for two, but as it is, we have a scheduled appointment with a buyer in the city. So… unless you plan to take on the both of us, I would suggest you step aside, my good lady." He lifted his wand again and pointed it at her.

"You're not going anywhere with those eggs," the Guardian told them and, as if to emphasize the warning, a bird-like creature suddenly zoomed in to land upon the woman's shoulder. A hoary pixie turned to glare back at the men and growled threateningly.

"Kilw da-wizzids… tak ya noos," the creature grumbled through a blackened gap of missing teeth.

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I'm already tired of this. All right, gorgeous… don't say I didn't give you proper warning." He stretched out his arm. _"Stupefy!"_ A bolt of red light shot forward, but the Guardian whirled and was suddenly gone.

Both men stood there looking stunned.

"Where'd she go, Tommy?" Sam asked him, looking wildly around them. "Did she Disapparate?"

Thomas whipped his wand around behind them and then quickly to his left. This was clearly unexpected.

"Nobody can Apparate or Disapparate on this mountain. Keep your eyes open. She still might be..."

A flash of purple light suddenly smashed into Sam's back, knocking him to the ground.

"Drop those wands — now!" yelled the Guardian, appearing to their right. "Surrender before you get yourself killed… or worse… before you harm those eggs." She whirled again and disappeared.

Thomas helped his friend back to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Sam was wincing in pain. "I think so… just knocked… the breath out of me. Get us out of here, Tommy."

"Right-you-are," Thomas replied. Looking around fearfully for the woman, he grabbed his friend by the arm and pushed him forward but then stopped again; the Guardian had reappeared once more to block their path.

"Halt! You should know… your doors are not where you left them. Your exit from this valley and the mountains beyond are blocked. There is no escape."

Thomas Deiver seethed with rage. He had witnessed a lot this day. He had seen his best friend hurt, a member of their party eaten alive by a dragon, and worst of all, his plans for living comfortably for the next two years put in serious jeopardy by the woman now standing before them. He'd always believed a man's fate made most of the important decisions for him. If you needed air, you simply breathed; if you were hungry, you ate something; if you needed a better life and somebody was standing in your way, you moved them. Although he had never been violent man, Thomas was surprised at how simple his next decision would be.

"Move aside!" Thomas growled, pointing his wand at the Guardian again.

"Thief!" the woman retorted.

"I said… get out of my way!"

The woman looked at Thomas and could tell the man had reached his limit. She had seen desperate men like this so many times before that day. There had been so many battles; so many good friends lost. But she had been given the power to do whatever was necessary to stop men such as this, including ending their lives for lesser examples of greed. She had been forced, albeit reluctantly, to act with brutal dispatch many times in the past.

Although they had no way of knowing it, Thomas and Sam were at a great disadvantage. For the woman standing in front of them wasn't at all what she seemed. This was a true warrior; a soldier who had seen more death and destruction than a hundred men twice her age. And although she took her charge very seriously, she did not want to repeat the same old exercise again. It always left her feeling empty inside. So very…

"Empty…"

"What did you say?" Thomas said, still pointing his wand at the whispering woman. His response seemed to startle her out of a momentary lapse. She straightened, as if setting aside any remaining notion of flexibility.

"I said… you will lay down those sacks and submit to an escort off these protected lands."

"Hold on. We've given blood for this booty today," Sam argued back. "We won't give it back now. Tell her, Tommy. Tell her we won't give them back. If we give up now, Oliver will have died for nothing."

"Don't worry, Sammy. We're not doing anything of the sort." Thomas looked at the Guardian with unyielding determination. "If you don't move aside… we'll be forced to hurt you."

Slowly and unsteadily, Sam raised his wand in agreement and the two men separated to each side of the path. They were both resolute to survive the day as close to the original plan as possible.

The Guardian leisurely reached up to raise her hood back over her head. A long and remorseful sigh left her lips as she gripped her wand tight.

"Showtime…" she whispered softly to herself.

And then there was a loud crack and a flash of purple light. A moment later, another hooded figure was standing to the side of the road in black robes between the trees.

"What the hell?" Sam yelped in surprise, jerking his wand back and forth between the first stranger and now to the second.

"Tommy… I thought you said nobody could Apparate in these woods?"

Thomas looked just as surprised as his friend, lost for words at the sight of yet another wizard appearing from out of nowhere. He quickly realized their chances for a good night's sleep had gone from better than even to nearly zero.

"Hello, Sarah," said the black hooded figure to the Guardian.

"Sithmaith!" replied the Guardian in obvious surprise. "Where did you come…? I'm… sorry if this trivial matter has disturbed you. I'll have this taken care of in short order," the Guardian said, raising her wand again at the two men.

"Oh, it wasn't any trouble. I was in the neighborhood and felt their incursion the same as you. I see you have things well in hand. So… how have you been?" The Guardian dropped her wand and lowered her hood again.

"Very well, thank you. It's… been a long time."

"Too long… old friend. All my fault; and how are the children?"

"Oh… they're a handful. Little Eric is walking now."

Thomas and Sam looked at each other in complete disbelief. Here they were expecting the fight of their lives and their opponents were conversing like two old friends about to pour tea.

Sam shrugged at Thomas who then spoke. "Ah… excuse me…" he said, wagging his wand as if to remind the two of them of their unfinished business, "but if you two are done…?"

"Hold on, gentlemen," replied the black hooded stranger with a halt. "We'll be with you in a second." The stranger looked at the Guardian again, "And Robert? How is that gorgeous husband of yours?"

"Very well, thank you. And… how is your family?"

The old pixie buzzed in again to land upon the Guardian's shoulder. He turned and his eyes widened with surprise then he saw the woman in black. He immediately took off again, buzzed around the Guardian's head twice and then disappeared into the forest behind her.

"Si-ath-me-ath… tak-ya-noos… tak-ya-life!"

The Guardian sighed. "My apologies; he's gotten very old… and a little senile."

The other woman smiled. "He never was quite right in the head, was he?"

"No… but he still remembers you."

"Oh — now — come — on," Thomas bellowed, frustrated. "Can we get on with it? We have an appointment!" The two women stopped conversing and slowly turned to face the men again.

The one in black sighed. "Oh… very well, then." She lowered her hood to reveal a head of long, red hair slightly touched by gray at the temples. This woman looked a little older than the first, but just as stunningly beautiful. She spoke in a very amiable manner.

"Now… my dear fellows, pleasantries aside, my friend Sarah here has an enormous amount of responsibility. Of course, you wouldn't know this, but she looks after the entire Shadowed Forest and all of the magical creatures in and around the mountains surrounding you.

"And… as if that wasn't enough, she has a husband and three wonderful children that look to her for support. Surely you can understand that a woman in her position shouldn't be bothered with the sporadic dalliances of men such as yourselves, intent on making her job more difficult."

The woman took a single step forward and then, quite unexpectedly, her image shot forward within a brilliant band of color to within just a few feet of them.

"I beg you see this from a mother's prospective." Both men stumbled backwards in shock at seeing the stranger move so quickly at them. A moment later, the two men found themselves looking into an empty path once more; the stranger had moved back to stand next to her friend.

"You will drop those sacks, and accept your arrest," demanded the Guardian called Sarah. The two men looked at each other and straightened, their resolve becoming stronger.

"We will not," Sam answered, defiantly.

"Gentlemen… please. See the madness in what it is you do," said the woman in black. "Surely you can see that Sarah needs to return to her children? Furthermore, the dragon eggs you carry in those sacks also have a mother, and I assure you… she would be most upset if she were to return to her nest to find some of them missing. This would be unnecessarily distressing to the poor creature."

"Poor creature?" Sam yelled back, angrily. "You mean the man-eating beast that just killed our friend? I have a mind to stomp these eggs right now in Oliver's memory."

"Nonsense… a sentry can hardly be blamed for attacking somebody trying to steal her clan's eggs." the woman replied. "Besides, your Oliver is completely unharmed. He is well and currently in the protective care of the Crimson Guard."

Sam eyes widened in surprise. "You're lying!" he shouted, thrusting his wand forward at them again.

The woman smiled. "I assure you, by the Order of Merlin, the man is now resting well and getting the proper attention to his wounds as we speak. You see?" The woman held something up in her hand. A small cross dropped and dangled with a jerk from its chain. "I borrowed this from him to show you he was completely safe."

"Where is he?" Thomas shouted, disbelievingly.

"At Saint Drogo's castle."

"What?"

"Dear God," whimpered Sam. "But that's… impossible. Nobody knows where Drogo is. How could he have gotten there?"

"I delivered him there myself, in much the same way you saw me appear here just a few moments ago. Be assured, gentlemen, he won't be staying there for very long. He's to be delivered to the Ministry for proper handling soon enough. So… you see? There is no loss, no harm done. Please… see the reason in all of this, I beg you."

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Sam yelled back.

"Well… unless I could have somehow reached inside the belly of the beast to retrieve this, it's the only explanation that makes sense… wouldn't you agree?" the woman said, still holding out Oliver's cross out to them.

The two men looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Finally, and surprisingly, it was Sam who made the decision for them. Although he wasn't the leader of this expedition, he wasn't willing to give up on their quest so easily, especially now since, by death or arrest, they had lost his friend. A flaw in Samuel's character dictated his first response would stubbornly linger long after whatever logic or truth came to follow. It had always been that way with Sam Cragmyer and the root cause of most of the difficulties in his life to date. He stretched out his arm and there was a flash.

A blast of red from the Guardian's wand smashed into Sam's chest, knocking him thirty feet backwards and into the woods. Thomas was horrified as he watched his childhood friend fall, and then turned angrily to face the Guardians alone. There was a crack and a flash of light where the woman in black stood. She had Disapparated again. Another crack in the woods behind him revealed her standing over Sam's body, lying in a heap on the forest floor.

"Get away from him, you devil!" Thomas screamed, taking a step toward her, but he was too late. The woman was already stooping down next to the crumpled man. There was another crack, a flash, and they were both gone. Thomas shot a spell into the spot where they once were together, but it ricocheted harmlessly off the ground and into the shadows beyond.

"Damn it!" Thomas yelled, spinning around just in time to see the pixie flying into his face.

"Kilw da-wizzids!" screamed the creature, as he buried what teeth he had left into the man's nose.

"Ahhhh!" Thomas fell to the ground and rolled over and over, pulling and yanking on the creature to dislodge him from his face. The pixie finally let go and flew into forest, giggling maliciously.

Thomas quickly got to his feet again, holding his blooded nose as he turned to point his wand at the remaining Guardian. She wasn't there, and neither it turned out were the eggs.

"NO!"

Thomas ran back to the spot where the sacks once lay just a few seconds before. The women had been flawless in their assault, attacking one to distract the other and capturing Sam while sweeping the treasure of their expedition away with expert precision. He stood staring down at the ground, disbelieving and bewildered. He was alone in the most deadly forest on the continent, two friends gone, maybe dead, and nothing to show for all their trouble but the pain in his back and the dirt rolling down his tortured and bloody face. His ability to escape also seemed remote with his door taken, two Guardians working at his capture, and an angry dragon flying overhead looking for the eggs he no longer possessed. All was lost.

Thomas thought about the village where he was born, the warm and friendly home that seemed so far away in that moment. _How had it come to this? _His parents and the town had treated him like royalty, like the second coming of the man Jesus himself. And now… he was nothing, just a simple thief about to disappoint them all once again. Only one thought delivered a spark of hope to the man: Perhaps his family wouldn't remember him at all now that their memory of magic had been wiped away. He groaned. It would be better not to remember him now.

There was an unexpected sound behind him like rolling thunder and Thomas froze. He could now see the shadow of something enormous was standing at his back.

_Oh God_, he thought, paralyzed by fear.

The shadow of the thing stretched out a full twenty feet before him, blocking out the sun and turning the air cold; he moved to turn, but stopped when he heard the rumble change into a deep and penetrating growl. The sound shook him to the bone, making him shudder in terror. It felt as though a boulder was crushing his lungs, and he wet himself there on the spot despite all his strength to stop it.

_Oh please… please_, he prayed, feeling the hot breath of something heating the back of his neck. The smell of the thing was awful, putrid and rancid, like rotting death. Thomas slowly turned his eyes, and then his head and shoulders followed to look up.

"Dear God!" he whimpered.

Standing before him at least ten feet tall was a monstrous cat. Its fur looked like that of a leopard, but it had horns wrapping down around its ears, which pointed outward away from at its shining, silver eyes.

Thomas's legs went weak and he dropped to his knees without a breath of hope to survive another second. This was the end. His arms felt chained down; he couldn't raise his wand even to defend himself.

The monster leaned down at him, placing its snout just inches from his face and growled a foul, green fog through six-inch fangs. Thomas's eyes were clinched tight, but still they turned away. The thing leaned back and let out a terrible roar that shook the very ground beneath the man's knees. A blast of hot wind and spit hit him hard, blowing him onto his back. He opened his eyes in horror as the pressure of the roar began to crush his skull between his hands pressing against his ears; the trees shook and swayed violently around him. The head of the beast quickly swooped in, opening its enormous mouth to crush him utterly. Thomas screamed his last warning to his parents two thousand miles away: their wanting son was about to die.

And then, unexpectedly, all was quiet. Thomas cautiously dropped his hands to look up and to his astonishment he saw the beast walking away from him. After about ten paces, it turned and sat to stare back. Why hadn't it attacked him, killed him straight away? Was it playing with him like some lowly mouse, waiting for him to run? Was that all he was to this creature, some plaything to be enjoyed before being disemboweled? At once Thomas lost his fear and a blistering anger replaced his panic. He scrambled back to his feet.

"What's the matter beast? Are you too full from eating whatever you do in this hideous forest to taste my flesh? Well – come on! I'm right here!" he screamed, waving the beast forward.

The monster began to ripple in the failing light. Its form distorted and twisted, shrinking as it faded. And then, another form stepped out of the leftover glow bending around it. It was the black draped woman once again.

Thomas's eyes widened as he fell back to the ground in disbelief. "Animagus!"

The woman with red hair smiled as she came forward and squatted down next to him. "In a way… yes," she said, kindly, "but in most ways… no." She offered him her hand.

The man frowned and then groaned as he stood. "Was it really necessary to scare me to death like that," he said, suddenly embarrassed by his soiled pants.

The woman spoke in a motherly tone as she helped to dust the man off.

"Yes, I believe it was necessary, Thomas. You have shown a total disregard for the respect owed this place and the magical creatures living around you. I know not in life what drove you to do this, but I thought if I could give you a truer sense of your place in these woods, you might understand the danger you've placed yourself and your friends in by coming here. There have been no less than a dozen predators stalking the three of you since you entered this valley, and it was only because of the Guardian Sarah Bell that you still live."

Thomas looked surprised and then stubbornly ungrateful. "I suppose you expect me to thank her, then?"

"For saving your life when she could have left you to be captured, poisoned and eaten alive? I suppose that would be up to you to decide." She could see the man shudder. She reached out and handed him Oliver's cross. "I will take you to your friends now."

Thomas nodded and dropped his head in complete defeat as the woman placed her hand upon his shoulder. There was a flash, a loud crack, and the two were gone.

TWO

A few minutes later, the woman reappeared once again on the cliffs of Knowtor. She looked down at the nests tucked into the rocky crevices of the walls lining an endless chasm below. Dragons soared in the open air, rising high in the thermals all around her.

She could see Sarah Bell heading toward her, stepping carefully around the thin edge overlooking the bottomless expanse below.

"The eggs have been returned to their mother, Anna," Sarah said, walking over to join her.

Anna Grayson smiled, looking out at the dragons flying level in their line of sight. "They're getting used to seeing you here, Sarah. You've gained their trust," she observed, happily.

"Only took me twenty years," Sarah huffed dully. "But they still won't let me fly among them. It'll probably take another twenty years for that."

Anna grinned. "I've missed you," she moaned, looking longingly at her old roommate.

"Me too." They hugged each other. "You know…I never did thank you," Sarah said, still holding her friend.

"For what?"

"For assigning me here… to this duty, I mean. I know I told you I didn't want it when you first suggested it, that it would be too much for me to handle… but I've grown to love this place," she said pensively, looking out over the vast basin in front of them.

"I know what you mean. I've always believed this to be a most… special place. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I first saw it." They watched the dragons flying back and forth, a few tipping their wings to ward off their cousins veering too close to their nests.

"It's beautiful," the two women whispered together.

They're eyes widened as they pointed their fingers at each other.

"JINX!"

They both laughed out loud and hugged again. Finally, Sarah took a reluctant breath.

"Well… I'd better get back. The children will be hungry and looking for their supper." She paused before looking at Anna again. "I suppose I couldn't talk you into coming to dinner tonight?"

Anna thought, looking back up at the dragons flying over the chasm. She smiled. "Of course; I'd love to come. It'll be nice to see the children again… and Robert too."

Sarah's face immediately brightened. "Oh excellent! Oh they'll be so excited to know you're coming." She hugged Anna again. "We'll see you tonight then, around six?" Anna nodded.

Sarah Bell turned to walk up the thin ledge where the path entered the forest again. She turned to wave back.

"See you tonight. Don't forget!"

Anna smiled, waved, and nodded again as Sarah disappeared into the forest.

When her friend was out of sight, Anna turned and sat on an outstretched pitch of rock overlooking the open space in front of her.

"This… is… such a beautiful place," she whispered admiringly.

Suddenly, a huge Vipertooth bull rose up, its battle-tattered wings spreading wide before her. It bellowed loudly as Anna stood again to face him.

"Hello, Taurus. You're looking good, you old bat," she said, jokingly. The great beast barked his pleasure at seeing her again, folded its wings, and then dropped, corkscrewing winningly into the thick clouds below.

"Showoff," Anna whispered, smiling as she leaned over to watch him disappear into the fog.

She remembered the first time she saw the valley stretching out before her. It was one of those rare places in the Wizarding world where the reaction at seeing it revisited was just as striking as the first time discovered. She reached up to turn a jade bracelet on her wrist and smiled: _You wait for the other, call to him. Come to me, oh come to me… do come to me._

She sat down again and remembered the year where the circumstances of her life had first brought her to this place. It all began in her second year at Castlewood more than thirty years ago. So much had happened in her life leading up to that time. She remembered being so happy about going to Castlewood to study magic, where she saw her first snowfall in these same Pennsylvania Mountains. She had discovered the truth about her mother's death, her cursed insanity and rebirth as a vampire, and then her alliance with the Dark Lord, Voldemort. As difficult and challenging as those days were for her, it was but a prelude to what was to come in her second year living in Spellsburg.

Anna leaned back and whispered, "That was quite a year. It was full of excitement and discovery… but then… there was that murder."

15


	3. Chapter 01 - The House on the Edge

Chapter 01D32

Chapter 1 (Draft 32)

The House on the Edge

One

From amid the black and purple eddies of nothingness, a consciousness is suddenly aware of its surroundings again.

_Where am I? Who am I? What is this place?_

She is floating alone through a vast blackness with but a single thought – _How do I escape?_

She can neither hear nor see anything but the ebb and flow of some strange wave of heaviness, working to drown her in this unknown place. She swims against the presence holding her down, pulling her back; for she only knows one absolute truth: If she surrenders to her burden and allows the thing to freely press her down, down to the bottom of this endless pit of darkness, she can never return. She will become a part of what she can only narrowly see around her in these brief moments of clarity; she will become nobody, nothing, a nonentity without thought.

A flash of light is seen somewhere above her and a panicked excitement begins to build. She is swimming now, through the dark and dry waters pressing in against her. _There it is again. _Another brief glimpse of pallid light is penetrating the purple swirls of loneliness. She swims faster and finally sees a window of light, as bright as the gates of paradise itself, its frame bending and distorting under the massive weight of the malevolence surrounding her.

From out of the deepest crypts of her prison, Victoria Grayson is finally allowed to see a glimpse of the world through her own eyes, but her evil keeper is always in control. Sometimes when Voldemort's servant is preoccupied or disturbed with the work of her Master, she loosens her grip on Victoria's chains and the prisoner is allowed to peer out and into the places surrounding the two of them. But in these rare moments of awareness, when Victoria is able to discern the light within the swirls of cloudy madness, she momentarily forgets she is but a passenger in her own body.

She sticks her head out the window and frowns. It's very dark outside and horrifyingly cold. She finds herself in some unknown forest. Equaled only by one of her lingering nightmares…this is indeed a very terrifying and lonely place to be alone. Whether it is a form of self-imposed isolation or abandonment, neither her friends nor her enemies are here to tell her how it is that she has come to be here… standing alone within the shadowed-filled night.

But being alone is not always a terrible place to be, especially when one considers what she's left behind. No… being alone can, on occasion, clear the head and make one reflect upon the journeys yet to come. The poet Dykes once said, "We should cherish the short internals of time we share with others during our life's quest, but we must always be prepared to walk alone in the darkness." Was this the type of place the versifier was describing?

It brings to mind her truest hope that, at journey's end and looking back, the trip she took was one of solace and noble objectives; a footpath of good intentions over the granite peaks of sinful trickery and deception. For if not, she risks the fall through darkness such as this, or worse, being shoved by the Creator into the well of her past deeds. Falling into the abyss and hell's waiting arms, knowing it's too late to scream for help, leaving the faces of love behind forever, passing through the fangs of despair and into the belly of ever deepening darkness.

Despite any good intentions that might have brought her here, fate has once again plotted against the woman in putting her on the path where she stands tonight. The hour is late, the moon is new, and there is only the cold night all around. It hides the predators peering out from the woods surrounding her. In the distance, she can see an ominous house sitting on a shore overlooking a lake as black as the hearts of those inside.

And now Victoria Grayson can feel her jailer once again, controlling her every move and pressing her back down into the dark catacombs of nothingness once more. Her warden is but a silhouette of gloom, drifting through the trees toward the house by the water's edge. Like Victoria, its sundry pace and winding course deceive its reluctance to be here. Finally, the shape of the thing solidifies into a solitary shadow standing at the door. A tenuous fist is raised, and a single blow is delivered to the wood. The woman falls back at the approaching steps coming from the other side. The door opens.

TWO

A very short, round man in a dirty cloak and rumpled hood stood there, gaping at her. His eyes widened at the sight of the person standing on his threshold.

"The M-M-Master is expecting you," stammered the balding man, still holding the door's latch. The visitor lowered its hood and could see the beady, black eyes of the man scanning over the features of her face. She could tell by the nervous curl at the corners of his dry lips, he liked what he saw.

"Stand aside," growled the visitor, and the man obeyed without regret. The woman entered a warm space, lit by the blaze of a well-stoked fire on the other side of the room.

"May I t-t-take your cloak, madam?" asked the man, reaching out longingly to her. Her eyes flashed malevolently at him and he immediately yanked back.

"Where is our Lord?"

The man nervously glanced over to a closed door beside the hearth, and the woman could now hear the voices coming through its splintered wood from the other side.

"H-H-He's busy at the moment… you'll have to wait. Can I g-g-get you some tea?" The man asked her, rolling his dirty hands together eagerly, wanting to please.

The woman's eyes flashed again as she moved toward him. "I don't drink tea…" she said, raising her voice in a manner unfitting her beauty. She took another step closer again. "What else have you to offer me?"

The man stumbled back and tripped on the leg of a chair behind him. He barely recovered in time to think he might have saved some portion of his dignity as he struggled to straighten again. He looked up embarrassed before realizing… the woman had disappeared. He looked around in shocked surprise, trying to understand where his visitor might have gone.

"Well? What else can I drink?" whispered a cracking voice into his left ear.

"Eeeyaah!" screeched the man, darting away from the now giggling woman standing beside him.

"I w-w-wish you w-w-wouldn't do that, madam. It's very unbecoming of you."

The woman frowned. "Unbecoming, you say?" She started to sway hypnotically before him. "But I thought you liked me, Peter. I thought we were old friends, you and I." Her image began to blur as she swayed, enticing the fleshy man forward toward her.

"Are we _not_ the loveliest of friends?"

The man she called Peter blinked, and then seemed to catch himself from falling into her stare. He looked away, moving his hand unconsciously over his throat.

"That was a long time ago, madam; a very long time, indeed."

"Oh… Peter, why do you hurt me so? Can't we still be friends? After all, you were one of my oldest companions, and remain a devoted ally in the service of our Master, even after all of our time apart. The Dark Lord has seen to that."

The woman started to sway again. She was beautiful in Peter's eyes, lovelier than when he first saw her at Hogwarts so many years ago. He could feel her smooth and supple arms wrapping around his body, even while she stood across the room away from him. He closed his eyes to breathe the sweet perfume now invading the room and his senses, and her purring gently pushed his remaining will aside. Her velvety voice was angelic and loving, and the man finally understood; if he just gave into her, he would be rewarded tenfold of anything she intended to take from him. He shuddered at her touch, at her breath against his chin, her lips touching his cheeks… and then his neck.

"Well, well, well… what a becoming sight to see," said a voice intruded from across the room.

Peter's eyes popped open, and he gazed in shock at the woman's blood-red eyes staring hungrily back at him. He yelped and stumbled backward again. Unable to recover himself as before, he toppled over the chair behind him and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

A man standing by the fire sneered. "Get up you weak-minded oaf. Are you so easily smitten by this creature that you would leave our Master wanting?" The man speaking to Peter was tall, with oily curtains of black hair hanging down around his face. The disgust in his voice was dripping with loathing as the servant pushed himself to stand once more.

"Severus Snape…" purred the woman in surprise. "What is Dumbledore's lackey doing here? I thought our Master would have killed all his of traitors by now."

The man's eyes flashed evilly in reply. "Once again, you show a total lack of awareness of the things moving about you. I'm afraid all those years inside Drogo's dungeons have withered your already fragile mind." The man called Snape frowned. "By the way, what exactly are we calling you these days, or have you failed to find a way to dispose of what's left of Victoria Jennings in that splintered head of yours?"

"The other you speak of is no more: She is dead to all: Only I remain," said the woman in a high cackling voice.

Snape smiled. "Oh — really? Are you sure? You still look the same to me, and Peter here proves you embody the same insufferable manner of creating mischief wherever you go."

"You… are a traitor!" screeched the woman. "Our Lord should have killed you!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Is it truly beyond your already blunted comprehension to grasp the realities of the situation before you? Our Lord trusts me, and the manner in which I do his bidding."

He paused for a moment, and then, "Besides, I remember a time when you were cavorting with the enemies of our Lord long before me. I remember you arriving at Hogwarts as an exchange student, being sorted into Gryffindor house, and then fast becoming friends with that whelp Potter and his hapless sidekick Black." The woman's eyes widened with impulsive fear, and Snape could see her gaze move to the closed door next to him.

"Even that dim-witted fool standing behind you was smitten by your charms back then, Victoria," Snape finished.

The woman's body seemed to relax itself before turning to face Snape again. She smiled unexpectedly.

"I too remember a great… many… things, Severus. I'm especially fond of my memories of you hanging upside down, held aloft by James Potter's wand. You were always dangling about, showing off your rags for underwear to the hoards of laughing students around you, frothing pink suds of soap from that nasty little mouth of yours." Snape's nose flared angrily.

"To tell you the truth, Severus… I always felt sorry for you in those days; always a victim to Potter's pranks, always falling short of gaining the upper hand against him. You needn't have tried so hard, you know, for he was far better than you in every way imaginable. I could have told you so at the time, of course, but I knew you would never listen to me. I knew I could never charm you… could I, Severus?"

She purred evilly and then smiled again. "No… you never would have been interested in somebody like me. But I knew your secret, Severus. I knew who it was that held your heart in her hands all along." She smiled again, and she could see Snape's body stiffen.

"What rubbish is this?" he sneered. "There has never been…"

"Oh… please, Severus. A woman always knows these things. I could see it from the moment I arrived at Hogwarts. I could see you staring… and wanting her. You always changed your manner to look absent when she glanced your way… but I could tell, even if she could not." Snape's eyes were hardening. She could see the veins in his neck thicken with rage. The sight of it pleased her.

"Lilly… Evans…" Victoria said maliciously. "You… were in love with her."

"Shut your mouth!" Snape snapped in offended rage, but she could see him peeking uneasily back at the door next to him. The woman's repulsive giggle drew his attention back to her.

"Oh, but Severus… it was _so_ obvious," Victoria moaned. "Or at least it was… to me. Lilly was my friend. You knew that, of course. She was assigned to be my guide when I first arrived at the school for that one fateful year of study at Hogwarts. I saw your roving eyes moving her way each and every day we were together. I could see your heart in that ogled stare. A woman can always tell, Severus. The tenderness in your eyes was apparent every time you looked at her."

Snape looked like a man ready to explode. She could see his hands clinch tight onto something inside the pocket of his robes.

"Go ahead, Snape. Do it!" the woman whispered eagerly. "I'd love to taste your blood before I leave this foul house."

The man called Peter stood gazing at the two of them, unsure of what to do.

"Wormtail… do we have another guest in the house with us tonight?" came a cold voice from the other side of the closed door. The question instantly broke the hostility residing within the room, and Snape's hardened face turned a withered smile.

"Well… it would seem your time has come once more, Jennings. The Dark Lord is waiting to speak with you again," he said, motioning her toward the door. He could see the unrestrained alarm rise up on the woman's face as clearly as if she had found herself naked in a crowded room.

"Victoria? Is that you I hear beyond my door?" added the voice from within the room again. "Come in here. I wish to speak to you in private."

The woman looked at Peter, who was visibly shaking with fear. "You'd b-b-better go to him, madam. You shouldn't keep the Master waiting."

She looked at Snape, who was still smiling.

"I surely hope your meeting isn't as… ah… painful as it was last time, Victoria," he said amusedly. "You'd better be getting along now."

Victoria stiffened. "I have nothing to fear from our Master. I am one of his most trusted servants. Didn't I prove myself to him after all those years I was locked away?" She slowly moved toward the door, but stopped to stare apprehensively at the rusted knob.

Snape quickly moved forward. "Here… let me get that for you." He reached in and opened the door in front of her.

"Come in, Victoria. I was expecting to see you yesterday," said the icy voice from within the room. Victoria Grayson twitched a quick smile before stepping inside and Snape was obliged to close the door behind her.

THREE

The room was bathed in darkness and another fire was crackling loudly next to a winged chair sitting in the far corner. The paintings hanging on the walls around them were awash in the fire's dancing light; the Muggle eyes looking down upon her from the frames appeared black, but alive. The man sitting in the chair was clothed in shadows, and although she should have been most comfortable sharing the darkness with him, the woman was clearly afraid. She could see his eyes glowing red through the dusty gloom.

"You look pale, Victoria," said the man, in a surprisingly consoling tone. "Have you fed tonight?"

"Yes, Master. I have. Thank you for…"

"And how is your companion within?" he interrupted her, his voice suddenly cold and uncaring. "Has she been giving you any trouble?"

"She often does, Master. The little wench tries to dissuade me from my Lord's bidding where and when she can."

"But I thought you said you were in control of her." His tone was now high and exceedingly hostile.

"Oh — I am, Master, I am. She does not keep me from my duties. But it is an effort… to keep her locked down inside me." Throwing her remaining caution behind her, the woman once known as Victoria Grayson came forward quickly and fell to the feet of the man seated in the chair.

"I beg you, Master… release me from the burden of her. You promised me you would do away with what remains of her inside me. Please… destroy her and give me my own name. You promised me… you said..."

"No."

The woman looked up and over the knees at the wizard above her. She could see his snake-like features distorted grotesquely in the light of the fire next to him. The sight of him made her tremble.

"But Master… what further need… would she be to us? I wish to serve you without the burden of her thoughts within my mind. It is becoming intolerable to bear."

The wizard tilted his head to stare down at her, a look of affection once again moving uncharacteristically across his face. "Then perhaps I should empower _her_ to do my bidding… if you are not up to the task," he replied cruelly; the woman's eyes widened in horror.

"No… please, Master, no. I've been your faithful servant from the beginning, even when her retched husband locked me away in the dungeons of Drogo. I remain yours to command!" She dropped her head again and began to sob at the wizard's feet.

The man rarely called Voldemort by his minions smiled. "I still need Victoria Grayson," he said, in almost sweet reply.

Instantly, the woman's sobbing ceased. She slowly raised her head again to stare back up at him, and he could see the unrestrained fear moving across her face.

"Please, Master. She knows nothing more than what she's already given you. I know her heart well. She has held nothing back. Please… do not hurt us again."

Tears of blood were now pouring out of the woman's eyes and down her pale cheeks; Voldemort was unrelenting.

"But I have new questions to ask of the prisoner you guard within," he said. "I have an interest in her daughter, born the very night you came to find me in Albania nearly fourteen years ago. I am most interested in the child she's given the name… _Anna Grayson_."

The woman's eyes widened again. She could feel Victoria begin to stir deep within her mind at the sound of the child's name, and the intensity of the force within her was surprisingly powerful. The woman grabbed the sides of her head and shut her eyes, forcing the presence within back down once more.

"I see her fighting within you," Voldemort cooed evilly. "Release her. I will speak with her once again as we did before."

The woman was horrified. "Please, my Lord… no. Not again… please. What information might she have that I cannot give to you freely and without pain?"

Voldemort leaned forward. "I am interested in how her daughter came to visit you in Drogo. How is it that one so young could enter Drogo undetected, and then steal her way down to the dungeons to see you? How did Anna Grayson exit the prison after your escape and make her way back to Castlewood with the life-threatening injuries you described to me in our last meeting together?"

The woman was near a level of panic so intense she could barely speak. "I… it was the incompetence of the Crimson Guards within the prison, my Lord. The girl was nothing more than food for the taking. There was nothing special about her."

"Nothing special? Then tell me, my faithful servant, how did she enter your cell?" Voldemort asked her. "The doors to Drogo's dungeons are legendary in the manner of magic used to keep them locked and those inside prisoner. How did this young girl manage to force her way in without an army of _Death Eaters _to help her?"

"Please… Master, do not hurt us again. I'll do anything you ask of me."

Voldemort was unmoved as he stood. "This same Anna Grayson was the _first_ of several new Guardians to arrive at Castlewood Academy last year. I find the timing of a new Guardian sect in the Wizarding world most disturbing. Why… after so many centuries… has the Order of Merlin come into existence again?" He slowly looked down at the form now cringing in fear below him. "It… vexes me, and I shall have my answers."

"No… please… no. Not again… please…"

"Enough! Release Victoria Jennings. I wish to question her now."

"Please, Master… please." The woman crawled forward and began kissing the wizard's naked feet.

"Your Master demands to speak to the other. Release her, I say!" His words were as a hot gust of blinding wind against the woman's body. She was hurled backward across the room. "I would speak to the mother of this... Anna Grayson!"

Voldemort's servant could feel Victoria's mind exploding forward once again at the sound of her daughter's name. And as she did, the other could feel her own mind slipping downward through the torrent of heated emotion erupting beneath her. After working so long to keep Victoria Grayson locked deep within the lowest crypts of her mind, the servant was appalled at the level of strength her prisoner was able to bring forth as she began to rise within her. Victoria was still there, as strong as ever, and now more powerful at the sound of her child's name; a child she never knew existed before her escape from Drogo just two months ago. The last angry thought the evil one had as she finally gave way to Victoria Grayson's will was knowing she would someday have to kill the child if she was ever to have this body to herself.

"I said… I would speak to the one called Victoria Grayson!" Voldemort demanded again.

The woman's eyes snapped open and she quickly scrambled to her knees. Victoria was breathing heavily from the work of swimming through the many barriers the evil one had placed in her path. She was once again gulping the air of freedom from the surface of her own mind. Although kneeling helplessly before the most evil wizard in more than a century was like finding a deadly cobra above her breathing hole, the woman didn't care. She was in control once more. She was free.

"I won't tell you anything!" Victoria growled angrily, looking back up into Voldemort's blazing, snake-like eyes. The devil above her only smiled.

"Ah… so there you are, at last. I was beginning to think my _faithful_ servant had finally vanquished you completely of her own volition. I am pleased to see you again, Victoria. I have a few more questions for you; questions… about your daughter."

Victoria's eyes widened. "My daughter is of no interest to you, my evil Lord. You leave her alone!"

Voldemort smiled again. He could hear the fear billowing from out of the anger once so predominant in the woman's voice.

"Oh… you misunderstand me, woman. I did not _ask_ for your help; Lord Voldemort takes what he wants. You will tell me what I want to know, or suffer the consequences once again." He raised his wand; his face was gray, bloodless, and cold, his eyes blazing.

On the other side of the door, Peter Pettigrew was warming his hands by the fire, while Severus Snape stood with his arms crossed, staring into the flames next to him.

"The M-M-Master and I will be moving on again, Severus. He would not be caught unaware in one place t-t-too long. He said he would c-c-contact you again in the usual way." Peter rubbed his forearm with a wince of expectant pain.

All at once, there came a loud roar from the next room, "_Crucio!"_

They could hear the woman screaming, her body slamming against the wood of the floor on the other side of the door. The screaming was a terrible mix of two voices: That of Victoria Grayson and the other a high pitched shrill coming from the Death Eater sharing her body. There was a crash of furniture, and then more hideous screams blasting through the door again.

"Oh, dear…" Pettigrew moaned. "I'll be r-r-repairing the fixtures all night again."

Snape looked over and sneered at him. "I'll leave you to it then. Insure Nagini is properly fed this time — you know the consequences of your failures."

He raised his hood and then pivoted toward the front door. Turning the latch, he looked back one last time at the door next to the fire. There was another shriek of pain from the room beyond. He smiled cruelly before stepping outside and into the night.

Walking a few steps outside, there was a crack and a flash of light and then the man called Severus Snape was gone. Only the echoed cries of screaming pain could be heard through the darkness surrounding the black lake.

22


	4. Chapter 02 - Something Missing

Chapter 02D23

Chapter 2 (Draft 23)

Something Missing

One

Another forest thousands of miles away: Although nowhere near as dense or foreboding, the woods in this place were similarly and eerily quiet. Nothing it would seem was breathing. Even the crickets, generally oblivious to everything around them, were strangely quiet… waiting for the thing skulking near them to pass. A spider sitting frozen in the circle of its web suddenly began to move quickly toward the safety of a nearby hollow. A lone bird bravely called out a warning to its kind and then fell silent. It was coming.

The thing that terrified them glided forward from both sides of a dead stump and smoothly poured over its top like thickening smoke from an approaching fire. The creatures in the forest watched the thing's progression with pounding hearts and muscles seized in fright, but more than fear kept them from running away; instinct was also holding them back, locking them deep within their existing hiding places, muted and trembling. Some peered out with half an eye, but an inner desire for survival pushed them back… an approaching fire would frighten them less than the thing coming at them now.

Black and cold as ice, as thick and smothering as lava from a smoldering vent, the Lethifold came forward; death was on the move. It quickly averted the bits of sunlight cutting its way through the broad canopy to the leaf-strewn ground. Shifting with stealthy desire, it checked every nook and cranny as it went along, touching and examining everything in its path. Then it abruptly halted. It could smell it now - the breathing of something nearby, anxious and afraid. The molecules of exhaled carbon from the creature in hiding were collaborating with doom.

The tiny rabbit knew the thing was coming. It could feel the temperature in its burrow dropping. It felt as if the stream outside had overflowed its banks and filled its tunnels with icy death. It tried to back away, retreating deeper into its hole until it could feel the dirt at the end pressing into its back. Still, the temperature dropped; it was close. The frightened animal looked up, searching for the shards of light normally twisting their way through the roots and dirt of its hollowed-out home, but the blackness had already killed what little light would give him comfort. It was in his home now and there was nowhere in which to escape. The thing reached out to touch the animal and it pressed back in shock yet again, its haunches curled up and over its shoulders in response. The blackness stroked its head and licked his body with rime. And then… it was swiftly warm again and the frightened creature opened its eyes to see the infinitesimal daylight from the outside reaching into his home once more. Death's darkest burglar had suddenly vanished.

The Lethifold moved on. Caressing those it found cringing in fear, the magical creature tried to reassure them in its own failing way that it meant them no harm. It turned to slowly head for a clearing through the trees and as it left the forest, the Lethifold could see a tall man with black, wavy hair signaling her to his side.

"Anna… come over here, sweetheart. I want to show you something."

The creature halted to ball itself into a sphere and then elongated straight to stand. It took the shape of a human figure walking forward toward the man, changing its color from ebony-black to a robed girl of thirteen with flowing red hair. The man, who was struggling with an armful of old scrolls, smiled as she approached.

"You're getting pretty good at changing back at will. Your command of the creature's instincts is impressive. Come here, sweetheart."

Anna Grayson smiled and dropped down to the soft, moss-covered path and then hurried to her father's side.

"What's up, Herr Director?"

Her father looked troubled. "Anna, there's only a few more days left before you leave for Castlewood again and I have to make sure you understand what we're doing while you're away. I won't have you demanding the workers redo everything when you return for Christmas, so you need do concentrate on the task at hand."

Anna smiled and then tried to look apologetic. "Yes, sir."

They rounded the turn through the woods together and came upon the site of the old Jennings' estate. Although the original building had burned to the ground almost fifteen years earlier, its foundation had recently been swept clean of the debris, but Anna could still smell the lingering aroma of charred wood and stone. They stopped together to inspect the site. Even without the crumbled, stone walls surrounding it, the century old footings of her mother's ancestral home were still impressive.

"Do you think that smell will ever go away?"

Her father's attention never left his scrolls. "Smell? What smell?"

"That smoky, burnt smell."

Her father looked up to frown and then sniffed at the air around them. "I don't smell anything." He looked at his daughter and smiled. "Must be those Guardian senses of yours." His expression turned serious as he looked back at the site. "Years of rain seeping into the foundations… it could be a long time before whatever you smell goes away. Should I have the builders look into the methods of ridding us of it?"

Anna shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's a lot better since you had the site cleared. Besides…I'm not sure I'd like the place as much without that smell. It's always been here since the first day I found it."

Her father smiled again. "Anna… are you sure you want to do this? I mean… you could do so much more with your inheritance than building a big house to live here next to me. I would think an ambitious young-lady would prefer to travel the world before settling down in one place."

He saw Anna smiling coyly at him; he understood her well. "I know we've discussed this before, but now's the time to reconsider if you're not sure. We will begin the reconstruction the day after you leave for school. It'll take two years to complete if we hope to do it without emptying the family vault. So you need to be sure…"

"Daddy," Anna stopped him, "this is where I want to be. This is the only spot I've ever truly wanted to live."

Her father looked unsure. "It's not that the thought of having you near me for the rest of my days isn't anything but delightful, it's just… well… it's a big world out there. There are so many things you should see before deciding where it is you'll finally settle."

"And I plan to see it all, daddy. Because of your generosity, I can travel wherever the voices of magic tell me to go… but I know now I'll always return here to rest."

She looked up at him and her expression hardened. "I hate to tell you this, daddy, but even if you decided to live at Hogwarts, I'd still want to live here in my mother's old home."

Mister Grayson looked surprised at first and then he smiled. "Now that's the first time I've been truly convinced of your convictions, young lady." He looked down at his scrolls and then back up at her once more. "We won't speak of it again."

"Good — finally!"

Her father stepped onto the foundation and pointed to the bits of a crumbled fireplace next to her. "I'm afraid that can't be saved."

Anna frowned and stooped down to pick up a piece of broken marble. "Are you sure, daddy? Is there nothing that can be done?"

"I'm afraid not, and the drawings I have tell me nothing of the detail that once existed there. Can you tell me anything about it from your dreams?"

Anna closed her eyes and thought back. Over the last two months, several reoccurring dreams had invaded her sleep; dreams of walking through the Jennings' estate while the foundations were being cleared. They were incredibly detailed dreams and she shared them with her father to validate his own memories of the once vast estate.

Anna's eyes opened again. "Nope… can't remember anything about this spot." She looked up at her father and set the pieces of marble back down. "But I'll be mindful to look carefully the next time," she said assuredly. Her father smiled as he rolled up the parchment.

Anna straightened and looked out over the vast ocean beyond the woods.

"Where do you think she is right now, daddy?" Her question was filled with guarded apprehension, but her father immediately knew her meaning.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Victoria has undoubtedly returned to _You-Know-Who_… now that he's come back. We must be on our guard at all times." His tone frightened her. It was filled with a level of dread she had rarely heard in him before that day.

"But what about the Order of the Phoenix? What are they doing about _You-Know-Who_? Do they know where he's hiding yet?"

Her father sighed. "Ever since Harry Potter witnessed his return two months ago, the Order has been put on high alert. Dumbledore has his spies everywhere, so it won't be long before that villain shows himself." He looked at her. "The Ministry is working against us on this, so we have to be careful."

Anna shook her head. "But why won't they believe Dumbledore, daddy? _You-Know-Who _is only in hiding because he fears the Ministry. Why aren't they working to capture him? I don't understand why he should be allowed to…"

"You don't know what it was like in the days before _You-Know-Who's_ disappearance, Anna. It was a harrowing time for everyone. The Dark Mark was everywhere, and whole families were being murdered by his _Death Eaters_. Nobody knew who they could trust, because so many were under the curse of enslavement. It hasn't been easy to convince anybody of his return." Her father shook his head.

"I guess you can't blame them; who would want to revisit a time when so many died without cause or reason. The original members of the Order have always been watchful he would someday return. But other than the Order, only a handful of wizards have been willing to listen to us." He could see Anna shaking her head in disgust.

"Your mother is with him now, Anna; I'm sure of it. And that means… we have to assume he has full knowledge of your entry into Drogo last June." She slowly looked back at him, her eyes narrowing angrily.

"He knows about the Guardians of Castlewood too," her father continued. Anna slowly stepped toward him, her brow darkening as she came nearer.

"You must be protected while out of my reach." Anna stopped in front of him. He could see her rage seething just below the surface of her carefully controlled expression.

"He's hurting her again… isn't he?" Anna's tone was barely hiding her anger and disgust.

Her father looked away, but she could see the truth he was desperately trying to hide from her. Anna was forcing him to consider the obvious. He still loved Victoria Grayson very much.

"Daddy? The truth… that fiend is hurting my mother… isn't he?"

Mister Grayson looked at her and then reached out. Without saying a word they came together for support. The man held his daughter close, dispelling anything remaining but the truth. The woman most important to both of them was in the clutches of the most evil and murderous wizard the living world had ever known. Yes, Victoria Grayson was in very grave danger.

Mister Grayson was surprised at how easy Anna's rigid body fell into his arms and then softened. He kissed her lightly on the top of the head, thinking to sooth her troubled mind even while his own was set upon the jagged rocks of worry and doubt.

Anna peered over her father's embrace and into the site of her mother's home. She realized, in that dreadful moment, she wasn't doing the highest and most honorable work of the Guardians. She wasn't struggling to keep her isolated distance from the forces of good and evil squaring off to face one another once more. Her eyes were fixed, liquid black, and filled with hate for the evil they called Voldemort.

TWO

Anna and her father were quiet as they walked back down the path toward the Grayson estate. It would seem the discussion about her mother had extinguished all the happiness they might have experienced that day. Anna could feel the blackness of the Lethifold inside her pressing forward, probing to see what all the emotional upheaval was about within her. Its immergence was strongest as they walked through the shadows, and retreated deeper within when her path intersected the beams of sunlight knifing their way through the canopy above them. It was always the same. Her wrath and anger seemed to unconsciously summon the creature forward.

"Everything is fine here,"she told the blackness under her breath. The guardian's senses were indeed strong this day and set on edge as they walked along. She could smell the salt of the ocean half a mile away, the pungent moss growing at the base of every tree, the damp and earthly woods, and the sharp scent of crushed grass in the path under her feet behind them. Even the grubs chewing at the roots beneath them did not escape her attention. It was this same sharp sense of awareness that brought her out of the stupor of quiet malaise and stopped her in her tracks.

Something Anna missed before had now become obvious as she peered into the deepest part of the woods to her right. She frowned, not quite sure what had gathered her attention, but she knew something wasn't right. She tilted her head to the side, trying to understand what it was that had inspired her to stop.

"Anna? What's the matter, sweetheart?"

She looked up in surprise; she had almost forgotten that her father was beside her. She looked back into the woods again and squinted hard, focusing her concentration forward.

"I don't know," she said, honestly, "but… there seems to be…" she stopped again, looking to explain what she was feeling, but it was difficult to describe what she herself could not understand. Her father stepped in next to her and the warmth of his body immediately began to interfere with her awareness. She took three steps deeper into the woods in response.

"Something… is different," she finally said. "Something is… missing."

"Missing?"

Her father came forward to stand next to her once more. Again, Anna could feel his presence interfering with the task at hand, and whatever had triggered her senses was starting to drift away. Finally, it was gone entirely. Anna looked up into the canopy and breathed deep. Whatever it was that had summoned her concentration forward had left her now. She opened her eyes and looked up at her father.

"It's nothing… I guess," she said with a shrug. "Better to think something might be missing than to find something that shouldn't be there, right?"

Her father frowned. "I… suppose. Are you sure everything is all right?"

He stared back into the forest again, and Anna was amazed at the level of trust she saw in his worried response. He had taken her observation so seriously. It made her smile as she took him by the arm.

"I love you, daddy."

Her father looked down and grinned. "Me too, pumpkin. Ready to head back?"

The Guardian looked again into the forest. She nodded and then continued down the path holding her father's hand.

"When are you going to tell me what happened last night?" she asked him. Her tone was unusually casual given the subject.

He looked down at her. "Happened? What do you mean?"

Anna returned a look of condescending boredom.

He smiled back. "So you were awake, were you?"

"Yes… something woke me up even before the alarms in the forest starting going off, but after all the sirens started… who could sleep? Especially with Eric rushing into my bedroom in the dark," she added with a growl.

"He was only trying to protect you."

"Yeah… well he's lucky I didn't hex him right through the window."

She looked up at her father again. "So what happened?"

Mister Grayson stopped to look around. "We're not really sure," he told her. "There are numerous reasons why the alarms might have been set off. A level 4 or 5 magical creature, perhaps, or somebody trying to force their way through the protective enchantments…"

"Or the use of dark magic?" Anna added.

Her father looked at her. "Yes… that would also do it." He continued walking up the hill. "But… a dozen wizards from the Office of Law Enforcement quickly arrived along with three Aurors who were on standby duty."

"Goodness!"

He smiled at her. "But nothing was found. Whatever it was didn't hang around very long with so strong a force building up." He looked around again. "They checked the entire forest and cliffs, looking for any signs of mischief, but found nothing." He finally smiled. "After the search was completed, I thought it might have been your Thorse from Castlewood."

"Swooper? Why would Swooper come here?"

"Oh I don't know. The two of you have bonded fairly well, and it wouldn't be the first time a breed of Threstral brook out of their stalls and went looking for their rider."

Anna grinned and looked around. "But surely he would have been seen, or found me here in the forest this morning if it was him."

"Yes… it wasn't your mount. Maybe a unicorn though." He looked at her and smiled once more, trying his best to sooth her concerns. "They have been known to visit us from time to time when they sense the magic within these woods."

Mister Grayson quickly moved to change the subject. "So… are you ready for our trip today?"

Anna shrugged. "A little nervous, I guess." She took another few steps before asking him, "Daddy, I don't understand… why would the Minister of Magic want to see me?"

"Well… first of all, you have to remember Helawena Barkelnap is more than just the Minister of Magic. She's also your Great Aunt, the sister of your Grandmother Jennings. Although I suppose it would be natural for Helen to want to speak to you after everything that's happened last year, but I'm afraid there might more to it than just a reunion of our two families." He looked down at Anna again and he could see the doubt and concern moving across her face.

He sighed. "I believe the Minister is going to cause some trouble for us today."

"Trouble? What do you mean?"

He let go of Anna's hand and gripped his own behind his back as they continued to walk. She loved it when her father reverted into this stance. It always meant his mind was moving into a much deeper place of reflection. "There have been a lot of firings at the Ministry as of late, Anna. It would seem the Minister is on something of a warpath — cleaning house of anybody who might suggest Dumbledore and Thordarson are right about _You-Know-Who's_ return."

Anna was shocked. "Can she really do that?"

Her father looked down at her. "She's already done it, and the Minister has sent enough owls as of late to confirm her ambitions to purge the Ministry of anybody who would show Dumbledore any support." He broke off, as if to change the subject to something of greater importance.

"The point is: you must be mindful of what you say to your aunt today, Anna." He paused worriedly, and then, "Your Aunt Helawena… is not to be trusted."

Anna looked at her father in surprise. "Daddy… the Minister? But… she's a member of our family!"

He stopped and then shook his head. "It doesn't please me to say it, Anna, but you have to be careful not to tell her anything about the Guardians that she doesn't already know, and especially nothing about your increased abilities." The man could see the uncertainty in his daughter's face as he continued.

"Anna… you must understand, Minister Barkelnap is first and foremost a politician. As such, her primary concern will be to hold onto power. To do that, she has to make sure the Wizarding community doesn't feel threatened by any unsubstantiated reports that _You-Know-Who_ has returned. No Minister of Magic in any country is going to acknowledge this terrifying truth without clear and unquestionable evidence. It would be most challenging for them to hold onto power and enjoy the benefits of their office if they had to spend all of their time hunting and fighting _You-Know-Who_ and his Death Eaters."

"But… I don't understand. Why wouldn't the Minister believe it? Dumbledore said Harry Potter witnessed _You-Know-Who's_ rising first hand. He was there!"

"According to the Ministry," her father interrupted, "Harry Potter is nothing more than an attention seeking, self-absorbed boy studying at Hogwarts."

Anna looked at her father in complete astonishment. "Daddy… Harry Potter is… is… you said it yourself: the battles between Potter and _You-Know-Who_ remain unfinished."

"Harry Potter's account of the _evil wizard's_ return is being dismissed by the Minister of Magic in England, and it would seem the rest of the Wizarding world has decided to follow his lead on the matter for the reasons I've already explained to you. If London doesn't take these claims of _You-Know-Who's_ return seriously, there's no reason to believe the other Ministers would do so on their own. Surely you can see the Ministers in the rest of the world would do anything to avoid panicking the public and thus, put their position into jeopardy."

"But daddy…"

"Please… Anna. You must understand; I'm not trying to explain their incompetence. I'm only warning you to be mindful of what you tell the Minister." He turned and began to walk them forward again.

"Another thing, I would be careful about agreeing to anything the Minister might suggest in the way of assigning Ministry control over the Guardians."

Anna stopped. "Ministry control? What do you mean?"

Her father turned to her again. "I get the feeling the Minister is more than a little concerned about the reemergence of the Guardians at a time when we're supposed to be at peace. Helawena Barkelnap is an extremely gifted student of history, Anna. She'll know better than I did what the emergence of the Guardians might mean. While she's been working hard in public to put the best spin on the Guardian's emergence, I know this must be concerning to her, especially in light of these new reports of _You-Know-Who's_ return. I believe she has it in her mind to put the Guardians under her direct control as a way of keeping them quiet and out of trouble."

Anna's mouth dropped and then quickly slammed shut again. She could almost hear the magic surrounding them screaming its objection.

"I won't let that happen, daddy. The Guardians must remain separate."

Mister Grayson raised his brow in surprise, and then a small smile began to curl the corners of his lips. "Now that's a very interesting way to put your opinion, young lady."

"What do you mean?"

"You said, "_I _won't let that happen. You didn't say 'The Guardians' or 'we' might protest. You said… _I_." He stared at her, and Anna thought she saw something unexpected in his face. Was it pride?

She hesitated. "I just meant… well… I should think all of the Guardians might object to controls being placed upon us. It doesn't match well with our mission… in the traditional sense as I've come to understand it."

Mister Grayson smiled. "Ah… so you have been reading those books I've been giving you. Excellent." Anna nodded as they turned together again.

"All I'm saying, sweetheart, is you must be cautious in your talks with the Minister today. She'll test your knowledge and resolve during your meeting; I'm sure of it. Be respectful and courteous, but remember my warnings. And also remember this: Sometimes… the easiest way through a negotiation is to agree with everything presented to you. It's only later that you find just how much you've really lost."

30


	5. Chapter 03 - The Hall of Wonders

Chapter 03D23

Chapter 3 (Draft 23)

The Hall of Wonders

One

An hour later, Anna and her father were entering the brass elevator in the basement of his Ministry office.

"And one more thing, Greechins," Mister Grayson said, as he turned to face his goblin assistant standing in his office, "make sure you inform the Minister's secretary we're on our way. We'll be arriving an hour early so I can show Anna around the Ministry. That should give you time to send a message ahead of us."

"Very good, sir. I'll see to it right away," replied the goblin, dressed in his usual waistcoat, tails and a string tie.

"Goodbye, Greechins." Anna waved eagerly, and the goblin bowed as the doors to the elevator closed.

Mister Grayson sighed. "Now… let's see if all the work to make this port key feel like an elevator is going to finally pay its long awaited dividends." He reached out with both hands to press four of the buttons on the panel simultaneously. "Ministry office… Washington!"

Instantly, Anna knew something was wrong. She grabbed onto her father's arm as the car around them began to blur and distort. She felt her stomach being yanked inward toward her spine, like she was being pulled down a very steep hill backwards. Her feelings of rushed wooziness were compounded by the unexpected feelings of being sucked into a whirlwind. It was a mixed mess of both a port key and a falling elevator. She tried to say something to her father next to her, but the howling rush of wind swirling around them made that impossible. Finally, the elevator stopped with an abrupt and jaw slamming bang.

"Yeah! That was so cool!" Anna yelped, as her father straightened and tried to gather himself. He looked down angrily at her.

"Only you would say that was cool." He growled with an irritated huff, brushing himself off as the doors began to slide open. "I don't know what it's going to take to get this thing right!"

"I see you're still having problems with your elevator, sir," came a voice from the hallway on the other side of the doors. Anna and Mister Grayson looked up and smiled.

"Sidney!"

A man in a black suit, starched white shirt and carrying an umbrella was grinning back at them.

Mister Grayson stepped forward. "It's good to see you again, my friend."

"It's good to see you as well, Director." The man turned to smile down at Anna. "And it's very good to finally meet you, Miss Grayson," he said, reaching out to escort her across the elevator's threshold. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic."

TWO

Anna smiled. It had been more than two months since she last saw Sidney Heidelbach, and under much more harrowing circumstances. She had found him desperate and lost in the Shadowed Forest outside of the city of Spellsburg. Unfortunately, the spells placed on the forest grounds had been hard on the Muggle, as he found himself completely disoriented and alone for days looking to find her mother, Victoria Grayson. Anna and her father felt it had been something of a miracle that the man had survived without being eaten by the many creatures living in the forest all those many days. And while Sidney owed his life to Anna's willingness to enter the forest to rescue him, it was Anna who felt she owned Sidney Heidelbach everything. It was because of this Muggle that Anna had come to know the truth about her mother being held a prisoner at Saint Drogo Prison for Incurable Lost Causes.

"Hi," Anna replied to the man shaking her hand. "It's good to meet you as well."

He smiled again, this time showing his nearly perfect white teeth. "I've been told I have you to thank to saving my life in the Shadowed Forest."

"You know about that?" Anna answered, surprised.

"Yes, Miss Grayson. When your father acquired the permissions necessary to enlighten me about the existence of the Wizarding world, all of my old memories were returned to me." He kissed her on the hand. "I am indebted to you for my life and being the investment banker I am… I'm not a man who forgets a debt owed. You were very brave to do what you did to save me. Please… I hope you will call upon me if ever you need anything while in Spellsburg."

Anna's face reddened and then she frowned. "Spellsburg? Are you going back to Spellsburg?"

Sidney looked at Mister Grayson.

"He is, Anna," her father replied. "Sidney is now on permanent loan to me by his President Mr. Landers of Westfront International Investments." He looked at Sidney and smiled. "He has become invaluable to us in managing our wizard investments within the Muggle world. He's traveled back to Spellsburg several times this summer to deliver Westfront dividends to our clients and to meet with several new investors."

Anna was impressed. "Wow. So how did you like Spellsburg, Mr. Heidelbach?"

The man set a likeable grimace. "It would please me greatly if you called me Sidney," he said happily. "And, in answer to your question, you should know that I have traveled the world to its farthest ends for the interests of my company: I have met with corporate executives, heads of state, tribal and spiritual leaders, and even a selected few who would call themselves the chieftains of the underground economy, but it must be said that Spellsburg sets itself apart from anything I've ever experienced in my life."

Anna giggled. "You're right about that. It's a very… um… interesting place."

"As is its Mayor." Sidney grinned, looking back at Mister Grayson. "I've never met a man so shrewd and astute in the manner in which one might seek to take advantage of an investment opportunity."

"That describes Ulric Prower to a tee," Mister Grayson agreed. "In my experience, most politicians have a knack for bending the circumstances that exist around them to their best advantage." Anna glanced up at her father and was reminded of his warnings regarding the Minister of Magic. She looked back at Sidney who was smiling broadly.

"Mister Grayson… might I have a word with you regarding my meetings with the Auror Shacklebolt?"

"Shhh — Sidney," Mister Grayson hissed, motioning the man to the side. "Be mindful of my counsel regarding your meetings with Kingsley," he warned.

"Yes, sir," Sidney replied, looking around them cautiously. "Mr. Shacklebolt has informed me the information I supplied to him regarding the messenger who met with me last year, the man calling himself Peter _Pettigrew_, has been corroborated. Reviewing the pictures he gave to me has confirmed my visitor at the bar and the man dubbed with the alias, _Wormtail_, were indeed the same person."

Anna's father seemed to catch himself from a sudden outburst of furious anger. He looked cautiously around again as two other wizards passed by them in the hallway. Mister Grayson strained to calm himself.

"Is Kingsley sure about this, Sidney? Are you sure? Are there any doubts regarding this at all?"

Sidney was resolute. "None whatsoever, Director. Shacklebolt wanted me to pass on his message of warning to you, and proposes an increase in the level of security currently in place at the Grayson estate. He wants to know if you need anything from the Order while you put these additional safeguards in place."

Mister Grayson shook his head. "I've already made the necessary changes after that prisoner escape from Drogo a few months ago."

"Daddy… what's going on?" Anna interrupted.

Her father looked down at her and his face darkened. "It would seem _You-Know-Who_ has wasted little time in causing mischief in the affairs of my office." He reached out to shake Heidelbach's hand.

"Thank you for the message, Sidney. Will you be heading back to Chicago now?"

"With your permission, sir — I will. I think I've given everything I can to Shacklebolt, and I have a number of accounts who have been enormously patient with my lack of attention." He looked down at Anna and reached out to shake her hand.

"Thank you again, Anna. I will look you up on my next trip to Spellsburg."

"I look forward to it, Mr. Heidel… uh… I mean, Sidney," she said with a friendly smile.

"God's speed, Sidney, and have a safe trip home," said Mister Grayson, as Heidelbach tipped his hat and left them.

Anna turned to her father. "I think it's really neat that Mr. Heidelbach is working for you now."

Her father sighed. "It's the least I could do for the man. After all, it's really my fault that he finds himself in the current situation." He looked around cautiously again and motioned her forward. "Sidney and his family are now under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix." Anna's eyes widened as Mister Grayson pressed a finger to his lips to keep her quiet.

As the two of them traveled the many corridors and hallways, Anna was enthralled by the hustle of activity all around them. There were brass placards at every corner, giving arrow directions to the various Ministry offices within the building. There was the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and the Improper Use of Magic Office. Looking into an open door labeled Ministry Law Enforcement, Anna recognized Lieutenant Farren Doyle, sitting with his feet propped up on one of the desks. She remembered Doyle from his visit to their home after the Lethifold attack on Damon the previous year.

Mister Grayson escorted Anna through the building, introducing her to several people who were acquainted with her father's work or their family. But as they passed a chained stairway, a soft whisper of voices fixed Anna's attention. She stopped and then slowly returned to look down the steps that wound down in a circle of white marble.

"Daddy… what's down there?" Anna said inquisitively. She could hear more whispers echoing up the stairs as she spoke. They sounded muffled — muted by both distance and several barriers.

Her father returned to her side. "Very interesting that you would stop here," he answered meaningfully. "What was it precisely that got your attention?"

Anna looked at him. "Can't you hear them?"

Her father looked down the staircase, tilting his head to listen. "I don't hear anything. What do you mean?"

Anna could hear them more clearly now, dozens and dozens of voices whispering in different languages and intensity. It reminded her of the magic she once heard while inside the Mirror of Enlightenment. Without asking for permission, she stepped forward and unhooked the chain. Letting it slide out of her hand to the floor, she started down the staircase to the mesmerizing song of voices invading her mind. Unwilling to curb his daughter's curiosity, Mister Grayson reset the chain in its hasp behind them and followed her down. At the end of the staircase, Anna found a door with a placard to the side that read:

**The Hall of Wonders**

She opened the door and what Anna found inside was truly amazing. The space looked like her father's vault at home; an enormous cavern hollowed out of the basement of the building or, in Anna's mind, perhaps an enormous cavern with the Ministry building constructed on top of it. There were stalactites and stalagmites protruding down from the ceiling and up from the floor, and a luminous glow of blue and gold light was dancing upon the walls from some unseen pool of reflected water. The room was cut in an octagonal shape, the far off walls opening to several lit caves that reached back and out of sight. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high and echoed with the whispered sounds of several ministry workers standing in small groups around velvet-draped pedestals. Upon these pedestals sat the most astounding array of magical objects Anna had ever seen.

There was a glass ball that shimmered silver and blue, and several wizards reaching out with their wands to poke at it. There was a strange contraption made of metal that looked like a strangely dented toaster. It had bizarre, double-jointed legs that walked the thing about as it snorted and coughed smoke. It was trying, to the best of its ability, to snap at the woman sitting next to it while she wrote on a clipboard.

"Now—now, there," the woman said warningly to the metal-clad oddity, "mind your manners. No biting today!"

There were objects that grunted and puffed, whizzed, clicked and smoldered, and one that even changed its shape whenever one of the wizards tried to speak to it. Anna walked around the room and then stopped to listen to a pile of stacked scrolls that groaned and screamed whenever somebody passed by them.

She stopped to watch a very old wizard who was trying to pry open what looked like a small-hinged door on the side of a wisp of vapory smoke.

"Come — now," wheezed the old man, prying at the door with the point of his wand. He began to chant a spell under his breath, but Anna could hear a few profanities intermingled with his words that she thought should have been avoided as he grumbled to lever the door open. Suddenly, the man's wand was yanked out of his gnarled hand and sucked into the vapor of the thing where it was summarily chewed into splinters and belched out its top in a shower of sparks and feathers.

"Oh dear…" complained the old wizard from his chair. "That's the third wand this week." He leaned forward to point a crooked finger at the smoke. "My wands have hippogriff feathers in their core, blast you, and they are not cheap!" The vapor giggled maliciously through its now clattering door. Anna couldn't help smiling as she moved to the next table.

There she found two women and a man discussing the object sitting in the center of the table between them. The object looked like a large cube made of solid jade with several drawers of silver and gold that continuously slid open and closed around its sides, each drawer revealing something of a treasure sitting inside. A draw opened on the right side to display a black pearl within. It slid closed as a drawer in the front opened to divulge a large, red ruby. As the drawer closed, another opened in the back to display a pebble with a wick of green flame. Anna smiled as the magic within the drawer whispered something about the depth of love. It too closed as another drawer in the top opened and Anna watched in wonder as one of the witches reached in to remove a beautiful diamond incrusted brooch. The three of them smiled as the drawer slid itself closed again. A moment later, there was a flash of light in the woman's hand and the brooch was suddenly gone. As the door of the jewelry box opened once again, they could see the brooch had been returned to its rightful place inside.

"You can only keep the object if you have something more valuable in your other hand in which to trade," said the old witch to the others. "It is estimated the contents within this box are at least a thousand years old and valued at more than fifteen million galleons." The woman could see the bright shine of eager hope blooming expectantly in the faces of her apprentices. "But don't get your hopes up too quickly on this one, my friends. I've been working to remove the objects for more than forty years without success."

Anna felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to find her father smiling down at her. "See anything you like?" he said jokingly.

Anna smiled back. "What an amazing place, daddy. All of these magical objects… what are they doing here?"

"The Hall of Wonders contains untold treasures of every kind, brought here by their owners or finders who have given up trying to figure out how they work. Some contain objects of great value, like that jewelry box you just saw, but others seem to have no purpose at all other than causing mischief to anybody standing near them.

"Some are undoubtedly cursed objected, but some have enormous unknown power of a quality worth on going study. The workers you see here have been assigned the task of investigating each of these objects with the hope of making them safe for use. Some of these witches and wizards are trained curse-breakers; others are spell searchers and historians. All are extremely talented in their areas of expertise. The work accomplished here is done by reputation and invitation only, Anna. To be a worker in the _HOW_ is a very great honor."

"The _HOW_?" Anna said, frowning.

"That's what everybody here calls the Hall of Wonders."

"Hello, Boris," a kindly voice said to the side, and Mister Grayson turned to find a very old wizard standing there.

"Ardley!" Mister Grayson shouted, reaching out to shake the other man's hand. "How are you, my dear friend? It's been years."

The man smiled brightly. "It's good to see you again too, Boris, or should call you formal now… Mr. Director!" The man said with a boasting chuckle.

"What are titles between us, Professor; I will always be your servant and apprentice."

Mister Grayson turned to his daughter. "Anna, this is an old family friend, Ardley Moody." He turned to Moody again, "Allow me the pleasure of presenting to you my daughter. This is Anna." Moody's face went slack as he reached out to take Anna's hand.

"Ahh… so this is the young maiden everybody's been talking about, ay? The first Guardian in nearly fifteen centuries." Moody smiled. "I should think those in this room would do better with their time if they were to set aside the trinkets they're working to examine you, my dear." Anna smiled as she looked over to see another man approaching Moody from behind.

"Hello — Professor."

Moody turned sharply and then gasped. "Merlin's beard! Barthel!" Moody yelped happily, reaching out again to shake the stranger's hand. "Oh… this is brilliant! Where have you been keeping yourself, my boy?"

The man Moody called Barthel was a tall and rather stern looking individual, reminiscent of a man who carried a well-planned agenda wherever he went. He was thin with neatly groomed, brown hair and had a certain manner about him that Anna was quite sure meant he was somebody important in the Ministry.

Moody clasped the man about the shoulders. "Now this does an old man's heart a world of good." He turned to look back to Anna's father and smiled. "Two of my favorite students coming here to visit me on the same day. Marvelous… absolutely marvelous!"

Mister Grayson stepped in to shake the other man's hand. "Qwaad, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, sir. Nice to finally meet you, Director Grayson," the man said stiffly, shaking Mister Grayson's hand.

"Splendid… splendid," Moody cooed happily. "With the three of us now here, I think we could knock out what's left in the HOW by the end of the week. Bloody good to see you again, Barthel; I hope the Minister isn't keeping you too busy. We could always use another good searcher of science, you know."

The other man's expression soured slightly. "You never will give up on me, will you sir?" He turned to Mister Grayson. "I suppose our old master has been trying to pry you from your duties as well, Director?"

"He has been relentless in his pursuit, as always," Mister Grayson said, smiling back at Moody.

"Oh… come-come now, boys, you can't blame an old man for seeking to reduce his life's work in his waning years. What do you say, Boris? Barthel? Let's find some time to work together while we're all here. It'll be just like the old days at Castlewood."

"Unfortunately, sir… I'm off to the East coast, and the Minister has laid claim to my remaining week," said the man called Barthel Qwaad. "I just wanted to stop in when I heard you were here and pay my respects." He shook Moody's hand again. "Take care of yourself, Professor, my best to your family."

Moody looked disappointed. "Must you go so soon, Barthel?" He leaned in to whisper. "I think I could be pressed to join you for dinner at the Minister's expense with little to no persuasion. Please… the three of us, for old time's sake," he begged, looking pleadingly again to Mister Grayson for support.

"As much as it would please me to do so, sir, I'm afraid it's impossible. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Director," Qwaad said, reaching out to shake Mister Grayson's hand again. "Have a safe trip home, Professor." He patted his old school master on the back.

"Very well, by boy… very well. If I can't keep you, at least promise to visit me when you find yourself in London again, ay?"

"Of course I will, sir. Goodbye."

And with that, Moody watched the man turn to leave the Hall of Wonders.

"It was nice he made the trip down to see you, Ardley," Mister Grayson observed.

"Yes… yes, indeed. But I wonder what he was really after," Moody answered, dismissively.

Mister Grayson turned to him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Moody limped around to face Anna's father, his eyebrows raised. "Like yourself… Barthel was always the brilliant scholar. He came a few years after you, of course, but he was your scholastic match in every way but one."

"And… what was that?"

"His ability to hide his ambitions. Brilliant as Barthel was as my prize student, he was never quite able to set aside his aspirations and devote himself to his Searcher skills. Attracted to power and the powerful, that Barthel. I'm not surprised he's working in the front office today. The newly named Special Assistant to the Minister of Magic. Yes… I should think that would suit him very well." Moody turned to face Mister Grayson again. "I wonder why he was here."

"You… believe he had another reason for coming down here, then?"

"Oh… undoubtedly." Moody looked around cautiously before stopping to stare at Anna. "I just wonder what it was he was after." He paused. "Ah — well, no matter. At least I still have you, ay?"

Mister Grayson smiled. "How is your brother, Alastor?" he whispered, leaning in close. "We were all shocked by the news of his being held a prisoner at Hogwarts. Is there anything you need, anything my office can do?"

The old man smiled appreciably. "No… there's nothing anybody can do, I'm afraid. How does one give a man a year of his life back? No, Alastor is fine. Mad as a hatter about all of this Death Eater business, and he's joined up with Dumbledore's Order again, of course," the man replied, looking around carefully before lowering his voice another octave. "Can I assume you have also joined up with that lot again, Boris?"

"I have, sir."

The man looked disturbed. "I told you the first time you came to me years ago about joining that crowd — that nothing good would ever come of it, and I repeat my warning to you again. Alastor wouldn't listen to me, and look at him now. He's barely a man of reason anymore."

Mister Grayson looked stern. "But surely you've heard the report of _You-Know-Who's_ return? What should we do, turn our back on the problem like the Ministry, like Helen and Fudge?"

Moody shook his head. "Boris… I am a scientist, a Searcher first; you know that. And I don't take to the rumors and stories of Dark Wizards being conjured up from the dead, or the idiotic whisperings of the silly minded. I am a man bound by the facts set before him. I cannot take seriously the story of one dead lunatic, killed by the Dementors, as anything more than myth and fallacy." The man hesitated.

"But I can take seriously the repercussions due my family and friends for falling out of the Ministry's graces, because of these unwarranted claims of the dead returning to life and rumor mongering. I tell you again, Boris, keep a level head about this and stay clear of it, I beg you.

Anna unexpectedly stepped forward. "Voldemort _has_ returned!"

Ardley Moody was sent back two full steps and clutching his heart at her words. Leaning to the side of the table next to him to recover, he stared back at Anna in disbelief before looking around to insure nobody else in the room had heard her.

After gathering himself as best he could, Moody spoke softly. "My dear, young lady, you cannot possibly know what you are saying but by the unguided misinformation given to you by your father." He looked at Mister Grayson again.

"Boris… I am surprised at you. It's one thing to put yourself and your job at risk with these unsubstantiated claims, but to freely allow your children to do the same is without thought. Think of their future, man. If you don't hold the proper care for yourself… keep a tight tongue for their sake, please!"

Mister Grayson bowed his head. "You're right, old friend. You're right."

Anna was surprised. "But… daddy, you know…"

"That's enough, Anna. Be still!" Anna hesitated, and then fell back.

Moody moved closer. "Seek my counsel often on this, Boris. I won't have my favorite apprentice fall into disrepute."

Mister Grayson reached out and then hugged the frail looking man. "Nor I you, old friend," he whispered into Moody's ear. "I beg you not to let fear set aside your peaked suspicions in the days ahead." He stepped back but held onto Moody's shoulders. "How can I convince you to join us?"

"I can't see how you could… not with the evidence given us."

Mister Grayson raised his head to think for a moment and then looked back at Anna. He could see her pained expression telling him to _keep trying_. He looked down at the table where Moody had been sitting.

"What are you working on here?"

Moody turned unexpectedly to stare down at an ornate cup, sitting upon the tabletop. His attention turned suspiciously back to Anna's father.

"An unremarkable object of little significance. Why do you ask?"

Mister Grayson circled the pedestal where the object sat, thinking as he inspected it. "It must be important to have you travel all the way from England just to look at it. Tell me… what is it?"

Moody's suspicions quietly relented. "Well… it's said to be cursed, but I think not. There are claims of people having visions and terrible dreams when the cup was in their presence for too long a time. One family even said one of their children was possessed by something held within it. I've only spent a couple of days studying the object, but I've found nothing extraordinary about it thus far.

"However, I can confirm something I put in my last report on the object. It has been enchanted with a remarkable brand of magic that I've never seen before now. A very powerful spell barely holds the cup together at the molecular level. It almost seems as if it wants to explode apart and release from inside whatever still holds it together. What that might be, is beyond my grasp at the moment. It's one of the oldest objects in the HOW, studied here for centuries to no avail." He looked up at Mister Grayson and smiled. "I'll figure it out. In fact, I could use a little help from my brightest apprentice if, that is, the world's banking community can spare its Director for a few days."

Mister Grayson leaned down to study the object closely, circling it again and again as his trained eye scanned every marking on the cup's surface. Anna could tell her father was listening as he moved, tilting his head as if to eavesdrop on any sounds emanating from the object's surface. Finally, his eyes moved up to stare at his old master and he smiled.

"A tempting offer, to be sure," Mister Grayson said truthfully, before tilting his head again to look over at Anna.

"Why don't you come over here and have a look at it, Anna," her father said as he straightened.

Anna was surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. Come over here and tell us what you think of it." Mister Grayson looked up at Moody. "Do you mind?"

Moody seemed perplexed. "Oh… well… by all means," he said, motioning Anna forward. "If I cannot tempt the father, then perhaps I might set myself for a new apprentice in the future."

Anna smiled and then stepped up to the object. Moody might have expected somebody so young to simply reach out and grab the cup, but the level of respect he saw in Anna's approach surprised him. She circled the table in much the same way her father had done, studying the surface of the cup completely before approaching it. In two places, Anna moved in so close to inspect the object that her nose almost made contact with it. Finally, Anna reached out with one finger and then stopped, her eyes glancing up to look at Moody.

"Go ahead, if you must," he said brightly, looking up to give her father a quick wink.

Anna smiled again before reaching out to place a single finger carefully on the cup's base just below its rising stem. To Moody's great surprise, he watched Anna close her eyes as if to listen more carefully with heightened concentration. He was pleased with Anna's apparent reverence for the object, but enthralled with her method.

Anna focused herself to listen and was surprised by what she saw looming forward from out of the darkness of her mind. She closed her eyes tight and concentrated on the image struggling to advance. The soft whispers she heard grew to a roar as the face of a huge skull came screaming to the surface.

"RELEASE ME!"

Anna opened her eyes with a start and jumped back.

"What is it, Anna. What's the matter?" her father barked in surprise.

Anna looked up at him and then to Moody. "I'm… I'm not sure… hold on."

She stepped forward again, reached out, and took hold of the cup with both hands. Immediately the skull came forward in her mind once more.

"Please… release me. Destroy the vessel."

"Who are you," Anna said aloud, speaking to the thing living within the enchanted cup.

Several of the workers sitting at the surrounding tables looked over and watched as Anna, her eyes still closed, began to converse with the cup.

"I am a trapped spirit. A fragment of my host's soul, locked away within this vessel in the foolish attempt to delay death. My name was Rufus Malissifa."

"A piece of your host's soul?" Anna repeated nervously.

Her words immediately gathered every wizard's attention in the room. They stopped what they were doing and walked over to encircle them as Anna stood in the center of the room clutching the cup.

"What's she doing, Moody?" asked one of the witches. "To whom is she speaking?"

"Shhh, quiet — please!" Moody snapped back.

The skull continued to speak to Anna within the folds of her mind. "My soul was a thing possessed of evil, who murdered to set this part of me a prisoner within this vessel. Please… I beg you… destroy the cup. Release me."

"But… what will happen to you if what you ask is done?"

There was a long pause, and then… "I do not know. If God truly does exist, I pray for his quick and final judgment. Anything would be better than this perverted existence for all eternity."

Anna shuddered and then opened her eyes. "My God," she whispered softly.

"Anna… sweetheart… what is it? What have you found?"

She looked up at her father with tears welling in her eyes. She quickly set the cup down.

"He says his name is RufusMalissifa," Anna explained, "and he says part of his soul is trapped within the cup. He's a prisoner."

There was a sharp gasp of surprise from several within the room, and then a cautious murmur of disbelief. Moody looked skeptical.

"My dear child… what you describe is barely legend in its possibility. You must be mistaken; this… cannot be."

Mister Grayson put his hand on Anna's shoulder. "Sweetheart… are you sure about this? What else did the cup say to you?"

"It's not the cup, daddy. It's some kind of prison. He called it a vessel." Anna began to sob. "The poor man… he wants us to destroy the cup." There was another sharp gasp.

"RufusMalissifa, did you say?" asked a man behind them, who was paging through a very old tome.

Anna looked back at the man. "Yes… that's right; that's what he said."

"This is a copy of the book of the condemned. How long has the object been known to exist, Moody?" asked the man, flipping quickly back through the dusty pages.

"I'm not sure, exactly," Moody replied. "It's been in Ministry hands for more than six centuries. I don't know its exact age. I've only taken to studying it recently."

"The Cup of Sorrows, as it has been known to be called, is eight hundred and sixty five years old, according to HOW records," said a witch to the side, looking in another book near the entranceway.

The first man, still looking through the book of the condemned, flipped deeper into the thick pages. "That would put it in the twelfth century." He stopped, flipped back a few pages and slid a finger down the molding columns.

"Guster, Joist, Lenetsky,Mai... Mac… Mal… Malissifa, Rufus. My God… the name _is_ here. It says the man Rufus Malissifa was found guilty of murdering a Muggle woman and using her body in an illegal… and what it calls _unholy_… ritual." The man looked up. "He was hanged in London for his crimes by the Wizard _Gamot_."

"Dear Lord…" said the woman standing next to Mister Grayson. "Then it's true… the object could be… a _Horcrux._" There was another murmur of disbelief again.

"Hold on, now," Moody scoffed. "We have no proof of this, only the word of a young and untrained girl." He looked at Anna.

"I'm sorry, my dear… but even if what you say is true, to destroy this object would be a serious breech of protocol. No… we must have proof of what you say before we can even consider doing such a thing."

"Then you shall have it," Anna retorted bitterly. She grabbed the cup once more and closed her eyes.

"They need proof of who you say you are."

For the next fifteen minutes, Anna continued to converse with the broken and tortured soul imprisoned within the cup. He told her about his life, where he lived, and where and how he had committed his crime. All the time, the soul of the man pleaded to have the cup destroyed. Slowly, Moody came to believe what Anna was saying. He couldn't understand how somebody so young could have acquired such a deep understanding of an object left to wizard study for hundreds of years, but the enormous weight of evidence soon became too much for even his analytical mind to bear without explanation.

"So… it is agreed," Moody finally said to the others within the room. "For the sake of human decency, the cup will be destroyed." He looked again at Anna. "In your own… way, child, can you tell the man Malissifa to prepare himself for the consequences of this decision?" Anna tearfully nodded and then picked up the cup once more.

"Thank you, Guardian," said the condemned man within her mind. "You very well could be sending me from one hell to another, but I am repentant of my sins and look forward to seeing the everlasting and eternal face. I… am ready."

"I will pray for you," Anna sobbed.

"You would be the first, my lady, in many, many centuries. I thank you. And I feel I owe you reparation for giving me this chance… I have something for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you, I too can hear the whispers of magic within my prison of hateful solitude… and something more. I know of other prisoners, like myself, who exist only within the deep shadows of this retched domain and within the relics that keep them captive here. Two of them are known to you."

"What? You say I know them? But who would I know that…"

"The first has gone far beyond the sins of my doing, and has created multiple prisons that contain many pieces of his fractured soul, each smaller than the previous, until what remains on earth is barely the whisper of God's meaningful design."

Anna gasped. "But who would I know that would do such a thing? What kind of person would do something so terrible to himself… and to what end?"

"It was done to gain immortality. And despite the many sins of murder he's had to perform to complete this evil task, his final intent is blasphemy to the greatest level true, for he seeks to raise himself to the very throne of God."

Anna tried to summon her remaining courage. "Who would do such a thing?" She held her breath, waiting breathlessly for the reply.

"The blasphemer calls himself… Voldemort."

Anna almost dropped the cup in shock. "What? Are you sure? That name is unspeakable here. This wizard you speak of… has he truly done this?"

"He has. I hear the pieces of his essence screaming angrily for their release in the shadows around me. "

Shock and disbelief was pushing Anna to set the cup down, but then she stopped. "You said there was another, somebody else who was being held a prisoner. Who is it?"

There was a pause, and then the voice returned. "The one you call… the ally."

"WHAT? But… I don't understand, how?"

"Your ally was set a prisoner by a most powerful curse very recently. Her voice is new within this void we share."

"Where is she? Can I talk to her? Who has imprisoned her, and why?"

"I do not know the answers to your questions, Guardian. I only understand she is lost somewhere beyond me. I hear her pleading for help, begging for the Sithmaith to release her, asking… for you."

"How can I find her?"

"She is locked within an object, much like my own. You must find her, you must help her."

"Where is this object?"

"I do not know."

"Please… I won't know how to find her unless you tell me more."

"Please… release me now."

"No… not yet. Not until you tell me where I can find her."

The skull unexpectedly surged forward from the depths of the swirling mist within Anna's frantic mind.

"RELEASE ME!"

The face of the skull began to blur and distort, creating skin and sunken eyes within a human face. The man was crying.

"I beg you, Guardian. End my torture… destroy the cup that is my prison. If there be a maker of all things in our world, I wish to bear his judgment."

Anna felt a sudden wrench of remorse. She was ashamed of herself, mortified for wanting to bargain with the poor man's fractured soul. The thought of his suffering through the centuries, hoping beyond reason to make contact with somebody like herself, someone who might find the means to set him free, was horrifying to her. She slowly set the cup down and opened her eyes.

"Is he ready?" asked a witch standing among the others; she was now holding a wand.

"He is. How will it be done?"

"Hold on," said Mister Grayson, stepping forward. "Anna… I heard you saying you thought there were others; other souls, like this one, trapped within other objects? Now might be the time to understand where they can be found."

Anna looked at her father with tears running down her face. How could she tell her father about the curse placed upon his first wife, Leola Grayson? It would mean telling him how she had become a ghost, how she had been murdered by Victoria. No, she would never tell her father that terrible truth. She would find her ally's prison herself. She now understood what she felt was missing in the woods earlier that same day. Her ally was gone. Leola Grayson was missing. Anna wrapped her arms around her father and buried her face into his robes.

"No, daddy. The prisoner of the cup only knows others exist, but he cannot tell us what these objects are or where they can be found."

Her father looked shocked and then hugged her back. "Those poor souls," Mister Grayson whispered, "trapped within a prison of their own making. Despite the sins that once put them where they are, I pray to God that he will eventually deliver them to his mercy."

Anna looked up at her father and scowled. "Not all of them are worth praying for," she said bitterly. Her father frowned and tried to reply, but Anna's face gave a twitch of wrath that Mister Grayson understood well. _Later_… she was wordlessly telling him… she would explain it to him later.

The door to the HOW opened and two wizards entered the room, each holding the handle of a very heavy, lead box. The wizard's heads were encased within a sphere of glass that Anna had seen only once previously. During the Hogwarts _Tri-Wizard Tournament's _second task the year before, two of the champions wore the same Bubblehead Charm to enter the lake.

The two wizards set the box down and began to circle its exterior while whispering a complicated incantation. The locks on the box clicked and the lid immediately flew itself open.

"Move back everyone," warned one of the wizards, as another lid opened inside the first, and then a third within the second.

They all watched as one silver rose slowly floated into the air from the bottom of the innermost box, its mirrored stem covered in shiny thorns spilling down its length. The petals of the rose fell open to reveal a tiny, crystal flask with what looked like a green vapory substance within. The vapor sparkled like diamonds within the mist, and Anna could hear the distinct but muffled sounds of purring coming from the flask.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,"_ commanded one of the wizards within the Bubblehead charm and the flask began to levitate into the air and then slowly hover over to the cup. He carefully set the flask into the cup and the entire room exhaled a sigh of relief. The wizard rapped the sphere upon his head once and the Bubblehead charm quickly vanished.

"Can't be too careful with this stuff," said the wizard with a nervous chuckle. "The breath from the _Nundo_ can be deadly." He gave his wand a complicated wave again, and the cup and the vial were completely contained within another glass sphere.

"Nundo breath?" Anna repeated questioningly to her father, but Mister Grayson was eyeing his old school master worriedly.

"Professor Moody, are you all right?"

Moody appeared ashen faced as he looked up shook his head. "I'm fine, my boy. Thank you for asking. It's just that… who could have expected this?" He turned to Anna and tried to the best of his ability to sound convinced they were doing the right thing.

"If this object is, as you say, a true Horcrux then it won't be so easily destroyed. While you were conversing with the unfortunate soul within, I took the liberty of contacting the _Office for the Regulation and Control of Dangerous Substances_ here within the Ministry, and they were kind enough to bring us the means by which we might set the poor man free. What little information we have outside of conjecture, speculation and legend say a Horcrux cannot be smashed or broken. In order to destroy it, the vessel must suffer the kind of damage which cannot be reversed by any magical means. If we are successful, the splintered soul within should be destroyed… or released… or… God only knows." Moody shook his head mournfully. "The vaporous breath of the ferocious Nundo is extremely powerful… and lethal. It's the only substance we have close at hand that might be strong enough to do the job."

Moody sighed again, raising his wand. "Shall we… do it together, then? I didn't come here to be an executioner. It should be done by us all as one." It was agreed, and several witches and wizards stood back and pointed their wands at the cup within the sphere.

"Everybody… on the count of three; one, two… three!"

There was a blast and the sphere containing the cup and flask was raised into the air. The flask shattered and there was a sudden roar, like that of some great cat, echoing throughout the catacombs surrounding them. The roar fell over Anna's mind like a drug; she could feel it rolling into her soul and then spreading throughout her entire body as a drug would after the needle. It encircled her wholly, like some familiar embrace from a loved one lost in time.

"My God," Anna heard her father say, and she opened her eyes and watched in astonishment as the greenish vapor instantly engulfed the cup like some living thing trying to attack it and the cup's edges began to melt.

"It's working…" Moody yelled out. "Keep it up; more power, everyone!"

The sphere began to crack and then it shattered as the cup stretched and bubbled grotesquely, and then it exploded in a shower of golden sparks. A cloud of green mist emerged from the blast, and a scream could be heard issuing forth from out of the sparks. The form of a man was coalescing from the mist before them, arrayed in a bright glow of white. The wizards and witches who had delivered the spell were astonished at the sight; a pitiful soul in its last moments of existence was reaching out to Anna.

"Thank you, Guardian. What is left of the retched man before you is now free to seek the judgment of God." Rays of golden light began to burn through the man's smiling face. Spears of sunlight were tearing through his naked body, and then he too exploded in a blast of golden sparks and was no more.

Anna held her father close as the last of the sparks faded into nothingness, until only the acid smell of burnt dust was left of the cup. Several of the wizards and witches around the pedestal blessed themselves and, one by one, solemnly returned to their workplaces until only Moody remained. He seemed lost in troubled thought as he finally turned to Anna.

"Miss Anna… I am sorry I ever doubted you," he said meaningfully. "It is obviously to me now what they say about the Guardians, having a special connection to the things of magic, is indeed true. You have a remarkable gift for one so young." He looked at Mister Grayson and smiled.

"Your father's true intention in asking you to look at the cup is now clear to me. By allowing you to display your insight, he was obviously hoping to convince me of your previous statements regarding _You-Know-Who's_ return."

Mister Grayson smiled back. "Forgive me, old friend, but I thought a simple demonstration of a Guardian's abilities might also entice you, like it did me, to search out the hidden reasons for their return to the wizarding world."

Moody smirked. "A very clever plan, Boris."

"So… you believe us now? You understand Voldemort is back?" Anna asked, hopefully.

Moody flinched at the name once again, and then, "I must admit you have given me much to consider." He shook his head. "I can only promise… I will reexamine the facts around this possibility."

Mister Grayson reached out and shook Moody's hand. "That's all we can ask, my friend, and more than I dared to hope."

As Anna and her father left the Hall of Wonders, Anna's mind was reeling. Somebody had recently attacked Leola Grayson and had imprisoned her. How would she find the vessel containing her? More than that, how would see even recognize the object if she saw it? And who would do such a thing? Only one answer immediately came to mind. Only one other person knew of Leola's Grayson's return as a ghost; only her mother Victoria knew this truth. And if Victoria knew, then so did Voldemort.

Anna knew the ally would never have strayed very far from her, and that could only mean Victoria or maybe Voldemort himself must have come to the estate. And if Leola had confronted them, perhaps that's when her ally was imprisoned. Was it reasonable to assume then that Leola was still somewhere on the grounds? But how could she find her? Her alley could be locked within anything, a rock, or a structure, perhaps something in the house. Anna wanted to return to the estate immediately to begin the search.

"Are you okay?" her father asked, as they reached the top of the staircase and moved the golden chain aside to step into the hall. "That was a very impressive display of Guardian ability, Anna. What you did in the HOW was truly amazing."

Anna looked at him and frowned. "Daddy, can we go home now?"

He looked surprised. "But we still have our appointment to see the Minister."

Anna's mouth dropped. With everything that had happened, she had completely forgotten about the reason they had come to the Ministry of Magic in the first place.

"Are you sure you're all right?" her father asked her, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay… but I have something very important I need to tell you about _You-Know-Who_ when we get home."

38


	6. Chapter 04 - Helawena Meliflua

Chapter 04D15

Chapter 4 (draft 15)

Helawena Meliflua

Anna followed her father through the busy corridors within the Ministry building and then to the upper most floors. There, unlike the levels below, she found the busy hustle of ministry workers entirely absent. They entered a very formal reception area where a young man was sitting at a large desk, holding a wand to his throat and speaking into a funneled pipe sticking up through the floor.

"Attention all ministry supervisors: Please remember to submit your employee evaluations to your department heads before this Friday at noon. In addition, all Directors must have their budgets for next year turned into the Minister's office by the following Monday." Anna could hear the man's voice reverberating through the walls around her. "That is all," he finished with a trailing, bug-like _zip_.

"Hello Gillian, how are you today?" asked Mister Grayson. The man looked up and then quickly stood.

"Hello, Director Grayson," the man said with a broad smile. "The Minister is expecting you in her office, sir. Let me just pop in and inform her that you have arrived." Without waiting for a reply, the man tapped his wand on the foot of the chair where he was seated and with a loud whoosh both he and his chair dropped out of sight behind his desk. After the man disappeared, Anna's father turned to her.

"Remember what I said about not divulging too much information about your abilities. Are we agreed?"

"Yes, sir," Anna replied, just as a strange smell caught her attention. It was an odd odor the Guardian had never smelled prior to that moment.

There was another loud whooshing sound again from behind the desk and the man and his chair suddenly shot up from out of the floor. "The Minister will see you now, Director," said the man, who then pointed his wand at the adjoining door and Anna heard a loud click. The door began to open on its own and Mister Grayson directed Anna forward.

"Boris… it's good to see you again," said a woman coming forward toward them as Anna and her father entered the room. Anna had met the Minister of Magic once before at Christmas the previous year. The woman was tall, very elegant, and Anna smiled at the graceful way in which she moved around the oversized desk to greet them. She was wearing a very formal dress of blue velvet with a high collar. Her hair, a natural gray, was pulled up in a stylish roll reminiscent of something found in a French court. It even sported several feathers and something that glittered within its sweeping folds.

"Good day, Minister. It's very nice to see you again." Mister Grayson kissed the woman's hand. "You look lovely this afternoon. I hope we're not keeping you from another appointment."

The Minister smiled. "Not at all; I'm going to a charity social with Senator Clarkston. My duties require my keeping up with the Muggle appearances, even if it means being seen with somebody as pretentious and arrogant as the good Senator from California.

Mister Grayson chuckled. "You remember my daughter, of course. This… is Anna." The Minister turned to Anna, who tried to smile without looking nervous.

"Well… of course I do. Hello, my dear. It's very nice to see you again."

Anna reached out to shake the woman's hand, but to her great surprise the Minister actually moved forward to hug her.

Anna managed to wheeze out a startled, "Thank you, Minister. It's an honor, ma'am.

The Minister, still gripping Anna's shoulders, stepped back to inspect her properly, tilting her head to look into her eyes.

"Oh, Boris, she's absolutely beautiful." Anna blushed. "I'm very happy you were able to come by today, Anna. I've been meaning to visit with you ever since I heard the good news last year about your entering Castlewood. How were your studies? Did you find them adequate? I hope Chancellor Thordarson is treating you well."

In that brief moment, Anna was surprised by the idea that the chancellor of Castlewood might very well be subordinate to the woman now fawning over her.

"Oh yes, ma'am. The school is everything I dreamed it would be — and more."

The Minister smiled kindly. "Excellent! I won't have a member of my family receiving a second rate education," she said flippantly.

She paused to stare at Anna again, and then, "Well, Boris, I'm going to ask you to wait outside, if you don't mind. I would like to have a little chat with my grandniece in private." As she escorted Anna's father to the door, she leaned in to whisper to him, "Give us girls a chance to get to know each other, without a father's insistence on all the formalities."

Mister Grayson couldn't seem to hide his reluctance. "As you wish, Minister," he said, grudgingly, turning to open the office door again. He then turned to look back at Anna. "And… despite the Minister's wish for a more casual discussion, superlative manners are a Grayson devotion at all times."

"Yes, sir," Anna replied quickly. Her father nodded his unspoken warning again before leaving the room.

"Well now… alone at last. Sit there, Anna… please," said the Minister, pointing to an empty chair in front of her desk before returning to her own chair on the other side. She seemed to work rather hard to settle herself before leaning forward to stare at Anna a full thirty seconds from across the large desk. The pause was extremely discomforting to Anna and she eventually found herself nervously peeking around the office, looking at the distinguished subjects staring down at her from the many portraits hanging on the walls.

"You look very much like your mother," the Minister finally said, breaking the long silence.

Anna was taken aback by the abrupt comment. "Oh… thank you," she replied. There was another long gap of stillness once more.

"Yes… the resemblance is quite extraordinary," the Minister continued, "except…"

"For the eyes," Anna finished unthinkingly, "yeah… I know;" another pause.

"Yes, you are quite beautiful… the very image of Victoria."

Anna couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, Minister," she replied again, her voice filled with unreserved gratitude. There was another lull of silence before it finally came to Anna's attention that the two women were actually sizing up each other up. Finally, it was Anna who decided to venture forward.

"So… you and my grandmother Jennings were sisters?"

The Minister grinned. "That's right," she motioned toward a portrait on the wall to her left. "That's Mary there."

Anna looked around to gaze up at the large portrait. The image was so startling to her that she couldn't stop herself from unconsciously standing up at seeing it. The woman in the painting smiled back at her, the face the exact image of her mother, but older. She was gray with blue eyes, and she wore a tightly buttoned red-vest and ruffled collar. Anna found herself halfway between her chair and the painting when she suddenly stopped to look around once more at the Minister of Magic.

The woman was still smiling. "Go on, dear. It's quite all right."

Relieved, Anna stepped up to the portrait. Even at her advanced age, Anna could tell the woman within the frame had been exceedingly beautiful in her youth. While time had obviously aged the image looking down at her with a endearing smile, Anna was gratified to see the years fashioning themselves into a gentle form of sophistication.

A moment later, the Minister was standing by her side. "What do you know about the Meliflua women in our family?"

Anna looked around at her. "Not much, I'm afraid. I know Meliflua was your maiden name, right?"

"That is correct. Our family name goes back a thousand years in Wizarding history, back to the old country; farther back than even the Grayson name. You should seek to study your family history more thoroughly," she said stiffly, pointing down at her.

Anna nodded, looking back up at the painting again. "She's so beautiful," she moaned, and the portrait smiled back at her, dipping her head graciously in return of Anna's compliment.

Her aunt grinned again. "Yes, I thought so as well. My sister was quite the catch in her day, but our father was quite strict about the suitors coming to visit our home. He insisted on only the purest wizard blood." The woman paused to look up at the picture of her sister again.

"I've always believed the Meliflua women had the amazing ability to pass their beauty down through their daughters," the Minister continued, now looking down appraisingly at Anna again. "Not having any children myself, it lifts my heart to see this rather vain tradition continuing in you."

Anna looked at the Minister and frowned. She wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Her aunt chuckled. "I can see from your reaction, it disturbs you to know the women in our family were so weak in fighting off the allure of vanity." She laughed again as Anna raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"Fear not, my dear. With age comes the wisdom to know the truth of what we truly are lies in a much deeper place under the skin." The Minister cupped Anna's chin and ran her thumb down the side of her left cheek.

"Yes…" she cooed softly, "so very beautiful." The woman's touch suddenly made Anna shiver.

"So… enough of the finer things," the Minister said, quickly turning toward the desk once more. "Have a seat, dear. We have much to discuss."

Anna found her chair again as the Minster moved around to sit. She stared at Anna, and then, "A dreadful thing… this business at Drogo. I understand your father has finally informed you properly of the truth, then? He told me that you were finally allowed to know about your mother."

Anna was surprised. "Yes… ma'am. I know about my mother, but I didn't know…" Anna hesitated. "I didn't realize that you knew about her." The Minister suddenly looked stern.

"Of course, I knew," she blurted out angrily. "After all, I am the Minister of Magic."

Anna was surprised by her aunt's sudden change of tone. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to say…"

"No thanks to your father that I know the truth, of course," she blistered on. "Boris only decided to tell me my niece was still alive and being held at Drogo after I became Minister… when he knew I would find out soon after I took my post anyway." Anna could see the woman was very irritated.

"I think… daddy was trying to save us from… the pain of knowing the truth… about…" Anna looked down at the floor disappointedly, "about what happened to her."

The woman seemed taken aback by Anna's comment. "You realize, of course, you have every right to be outraged by this deception."

"No!" Anna blurted out, snapping up to look at the woman, but she slowly and unwillingly dropped her gaze to stare at the floor once more. "Well… when I first found out about it… yes… I suppose I was very angry. But I understand now why he kept her situation a secret from me."

The Minister seemed unconvinced. "You are much more forgiving than I on the subject," she said, scathingly. She paused, and then it seemed she was straining to smile again. "Still… I suppose he had his reasons, in light of _You-Know-Who's_ treachery in all of this."

Finally, Anna could see her aunt's anger bending toward the correct person responsible for her mother's fate.

The Minister leaned forward in her chair. "I must ask you something, Anna… and I need your complete cooperation and honesty in your reply."

Anna was surprised once more. "I… of course, Minister. What do you…?"

"Did you have anything to do with Victoria's escape?"

Anna was struck dumb for a moment by both the tone of the question and the harsh, accusatory look on the woman's face. There was a strange and sudden pressure building behind Anna's eyes from the Minister's stare. Although she didn't understand what was happening to her, Anna immediately understood some form of magic was being used to gain the truth in her response. The attempt seemed invasive, intrusive, and Anna immediately moved to exercise her own abilities to close the breach behind her eyes that the woman seated in front of her was trying, with great force, to pry open.

"No." Anna answered forcefully, slamming with an almost audible bang the gate within her mind. The force of her repulse seemed to manifest itself in her aunt's posture. She fell back in her chair, looking surprised.

"No?" she replied. "Are you sure?"

Anna fixed her stare back at her. "Of course I'm sure."

She could feel another probe at the door in her mind once more, and Anna almost laughed out loud at the feeble effort to pry it open again. The woman frowned. Finally, her aunt looked away and opened a drawer to her right. She removed an envelope with the Castlewood emblem embossed on the front.

"I have a letter here sent to me from the Captain of the Crimson Guard at Castlewood, Gregory Dunning. Do you know him?"

Anna's heart sank. "Yes… everybody in Spellsburg knows Captain Dunning."

"Apparently, the good Captain owled me this letter after his failings at Drogo… just before his memory was wiped away"

"Oh?" Anna said worriedly, still holding the door in her mind closed tight against the relentless probing from the other side of the desk.

"Yes. He accuses you of being directly responsible for your mother's escape. In his letter, the captain claims you somehow broke into the prison undetected, made your way down to the dungeons, and then released your mother from her cell.

Anna seethed. "The _good_ captain said that, did he? Well… I don't know why he would accuse me of such a thing. I was at Castlewood the whole time. I don't even know where Drogo is," Anna lied. There it was again – more heavy probing, more pressure from her aunt's relentless stare.

"How are your injuries?" the Minister asked her unexpectedly, and Anna was suddenly distracted by the question.

"My… my injuries?" she replied, moving her hand instinctually over her throat. "They're… I'm okay, I guess."

The Minister tilted her head and smiled. "Healing up nicely, are they?" Anna nodded.

"And… how exactly did you come to be injured again?" More probing; this time the pressure to enter was stronger than ever.

Anna grimaced and then pushed back again. "I don't remember," she answered flatly.

The Minister frowned. "Is that right? I would think a traumatic event like that would be a permanent fixture in your mind for a very long time. My report says you were attacked outside the Vollucross stadium during a projection of the third Triwizard task." Anna stared at her, trying to keep her expression silent.

"Why were you outside the stadium during the last task? It says you were seen inside earlier that evening. Why did you leave?"

"Did Dunning tell you that too?"

"Answer the question, please."

"I don't remember."

"Do you remember saddling your mount?" Anna didn't answer, but she couldn't hide her surprised expression. "Your Vollucross steed; you were seen in the stables before the start of the last task. Did you leave with your mount before you were attacked?" More pressure again, but Anna did not answer. She was worried somebody might have seen her flying off to Drogo.

"Nothing to say? Your mount was missing until the next morning, did you know that?"

Anna's head dropped. "No… I don't remember much of anything about that day." Finally, her aunt leaned back, the pressure behind Anna's eyes abruptly away.

"I see. A shame we couldn't catch the beast that attacked you. Even Chancellor Thordarson was at a loss to contemplate what manner of creature that might have left the forest to attack you… and then drag you into the woods." She paused again. "It's all very… interesting… and quite disturbing, of course." There was another uncomfortable silence.

"You know… your mother and I were very close."

Anna was surprised again by the abrupt change of subject, but quickly took advantage of the opportunity to move on. "Really?" she replied inquiringly.

"Oh yes. In fact, she came to live with me in London for more than a year during her time at Castlewood."

Anna was amazed. "Did she? I had heard she lived with you sometimes during the summer holiday, but how did she manage her studies…?"

"I got her a one year stint as a foreign exchange student at Hogwarts in her sixth-year."

Anna's mouth dropped. "My mother was at Hogwarts?"

Her aunt smiled. "That's right. It was during my time as Ambassador to England that she came to live with me. I think she quite enjoyed her time in London."

"Wow… that would be fantastic," Anna replied enviously.

Her aunt smiled again. "Yes… well perhaps I can speak to the Minister in England, Cornelius Fudge, and see if we can keep up with this tradition. Would you be interested in something like that… if I could arrange it?"

Anna leaned forward excitedly, "Would I? Wow… that would be..." but a stabbing thought forced her to stop. "But… what about the Guardians?"

"What about them? Surely your new Union can do without one Guardian for a year." Her aunt leaned back and smiled. "I think it would be interesting to see in which house you would be sorted at Hogwarts." Her smile quickly left her. "Where would a Guardian land, I wonder?"

Anna could feel a subtle probe again. _What was she looking for?_

"Anyway, give it some thought and I'll have a chat with your father about it later - perhaps next year." Anna nodded, suddenly finding herself distrustful of the woman's offer.

"Speaking of the Guardians," the Minister continued, "I wanted to ask you… have you seen any changes in your abilities recently… other than those that brought you to Castlewood last year, of course?" More probing, more pressure.

"No… not really," Anna replied cautiously.

"Nothing more? Nothing out of the ordinary to report?"

_What is she looking for?_ "No, ma'am." She thought for a moment. "In fact… I think I might be a little slower than the average witch in picking up some of the skills being taught to me in class," Anna replied shyly, trying to deflect the conversation.

Her aunt's expression contorted questioningly. "Anna… why do you think the Guardians have returned to us? Why are the Guardians here?"

Anna didn't hesitate. Without thinking, she blurted out her reply. "The Guardians are here to protect the things of Magic from the battle to come."

Her aunt frowned. "Battle? What in the world are you talking about, my dear? To what battle are you referring?"

"The battle with Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

The Minister's face suddenly turned to that of rage. She immediately stood. "Who told you that? Did your father tell you that lie?"

Anna was surprised by the fast change of emotion in the Minister once more.

"No, ma'am."

"Who then? Was it Thordarson?"

"No, ma'am."

"Who?"

"Minister, the newspapers have been filled with these stories, and there's a lot of information written about the Guardians of old and why they came. The old Order was…"

"_He-Who-Must-Be-Named_ has nothing to do with the Guardians of Castlewood!" her aunt scolded. She pointed angrily down at Anna. "I don't know who has been filling your head with such things, but if I find out they work for the Ministry…"

"But you know I'm not the only one who believes this, Minister. Chancellor Thordarson and the Headmaster of Hogwarts believe it too. Harry Potter was an eyewitness to Voldemort's rise. He was there when…"

"Harry Potter is nothing more than a self-centered little boy, looking for a lot of attention from the press. And as for Dumbledore — he's already been disgraced for his lies about _You-Know-Who's_ return. He's been asked to leave the Wizard _gamot_, and unless he learns to keep quiet about such things, he may not be the Headmaster of Hogwarts very much longer."

Anna was stunned. "They would sack Dumbledore? No… who would dare to…?"

"For spreading unsubstantiated lies that could alarm the entire Wizarding world? Of course he'd be sacked. The Minister of Magic in London has the power to…"

"But surely… they wouldn't!"

The Minister glowered down at her. "Yes… they most certainly would," she said, her eyes widening. Anna was too shocked to reply. "And Thordarson too, if that becomes necessary," her aunt added with a growl.

Anna scowled back. "And what if they're right?" she persisted. "What if Voldemort has returned?"

"Don't say that name!" the Minister raged.

Anna's anger flashed. "And why not? If he's dead — what difference does it make? Why would it matter?" Anna stood. "He's back! I know it's true, and my mother knew it was true!"

The Minister's face fell. "And how would you know what Victoria believed? Have you seen her?" Anna was silent; she felt caught, trapped by her own anger.

Her aunt leaned over the desk, her face flushed with rage. "Did you go to Drogo the night she escaped? The truth!" she shouted. "Were you there?"

Anna stared at the woman, closing her mind tight. She thought of her father's warnings not to divulge anything to this woman. Although she didn't understand his advice at the time, Anna was positive now that he was correct.

Anna slowly sat back down. "No," she answered, finally.

"Then how would you possibly know what Victoria could be thinking?"

Anna glared back at her. She couldn't believe the Minister of Magic would ignore the threat that was Voldemort. She finally offered the only proof she had left.

Anna took a deep breath. "Victoria Grayson was a Death Eater." At these words she could see her aunt fall back, as if Anna's words had shoved her. For the first time since Anna had entered the office, the Minister looked truly hurt.

"Rubbish…" she whispered.

Anna was astounded. "Surely, Minister, you know as well as I how it came to be that Victoria fell under the Dark Lord's will."

"Of course I know!" the woman snapped back. "I know exactly what that fiend did to…" she hesitated, her voice suddenly hoarse, "what he… did to my beautiful Victoria." The Minister's eyes were filled with both grief and malice, but the sad gentleness in her response surprised Anna. Surely his woman had been very close to her mother. Anna leaned forward.

"Please, Minister… you must believe me when I tell you… he's back. The monster that hurt Victoria Grayson _has_ returned."

The Minster stared at her disbelievingly. "You sound so sure of yourself; you sound… so much like her…" The Minister slowly slumped back in her chair. "Are you saying this because of your mother… or…"

"No," Anna retorted. "I tell you this by everything that defines me as a Guardian. By the Order of Merlin… I'm telling you the truth: He — is — back!"

The woman stared at Anna, seemingly unsure at how to respond. Her lasting beauty seemed suddenly faded.

"By the Order of Merlin…" she whispered. She slowly stood in front of her chair and Anna copied her. The Minister walked over to her sister's painting and stared up at the woman looking back. The image in the portrait was slowly shaking her head.

"It can't be true," the woman in the painting whispered aloud.

"No…" agreed the Minister. Looking around again, she said, "You are mistaken, Anna. You don't know what you're saying."

"But Minister… please, you must believe me…"

"Enough!" her aunt bellowed, returning to her chair to sit. She picked up a quill next to a stack of parchment and began to write. "I'm warning you, Anna, as I did all those who work for the Ministry; if you repeat these lies about _You-Know-Who's_ return, you will regret it."

Anna was staggered. "But… I don't work for the Ministry; you can't tell me what I can…"

"But your father does," she said, cutting across her with a glare. "And I am sure there are other members of your family who would someday wish to work here as well. There is more at risk in what you say than just yourself, young lady."

Anna was astounded by the woman's open audacity. "My family? But… YOU ARE MY FAMILY, MINISTER! And you… would threaten us? You… would do this to us?"

"For the benefit of those who would be sent into a panic by these lies, I surely would… yes!"

Anna mind was racing. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was wrong. Anna leaned forward. "My father taught us our first responsibility is keep our faith in God, Minister, and then to be true to our family." She glared at the woman sitting across the desk from her. "I would have thought this wisdom would have come from both sides of my family."

The Minister continued to write, dipping the tip of her quill quickly into the inkbottle without reply.

"Just so that you know…" the Minister finally said, not bothering to look up," I will be naming somebody within the Ministry to manage this new Guardian Union at Castlewood."

Anna's jaw dropped. "What?"

The Minister dropped her quill and looked up. "You heard me. The Guardians will be closely monitored while at Castlewood and after they leave the school."

"But… why? For what possible purpose?"

"If the these Guardians are anything like you, if they are so intent on spreading vicious rumors about _You-Know-Who's_ return, then they must be dealt with in the most severe methods open to my office."

_My God, what have I done?_ Anna thought.

"You will all be required to register with the Ministry, and your course schedules will be monitored closely for anything considered subversive."

"Subversive? We're not here to cause any trouble," Anna fired back, "and the Guardians will not be controlled by the Ministry; we must remain independent of all outside influences."

"You and the rest of your little purple band will do as you are told or…"

"We will not!"

"…or you will be expelled from Castlewood altogether!"

Anna was stunned. She slowly fell back into her chair. "No…" she whispered painfully.

"The Guardians of Castlewood will be closely watched both at school and after they graduate. And if they are found to be interfering with any Ministry business, or spreading these malicious rumors about _You-Know-Who's _return, the punishment will be most severe; expulsion from Castlewood for underage sorcerers, and time in Azkaban for any adults who should know better." The woman glared at her threateningly. "I can also have the Guardian Hall torn down, if that becomes necessary."

Anna sat there, disbelieving every word she was hearing. She finally stood to lean over the desk at the Minister of Magic.

"You… are not a member of my family!"

The Minister's expression flattened. Her eyes suddenly absent of emotion. "I am sorry you feel that way, Anna. Being so young, you don't realize what you're giving up in having access to the Minister of Magic. You should be…"

"Thankful? Is that how I'm supposed to feel about all your threats against my family, against the Guardians and me? You… are not my aunt, and I will never admit to anybody that we are related until you come to your senses."

"Are you finished?"

"No… I'm not!"

"Oh, then let me stop you now before you find yourself in even more trouble than you already are, young lady." The Minister stood and pointed her wand at her. Anna took a step back in fear before hearing the bolt in the door behind her spin with a loud clack.

"The door to the outside world is open to you, Anna… for now. I suggest you use it." Anna glared at her. "Now!" the Minister bellowed.

Anna stiffened and then turned. She was almost at the open door when the Minister called to her again.

"By the way… I meant to ask you, why is Eric Grayson taking up residence in Spellsburg?"

Anna turned around and frowned. "What?"

The Minister strained to smile, her composure returning. "I would have thought your brother would have preferred to continue his studies in Los Angeles. Why is he going back to Castlewood?"

Anna contemplated the many responses open to her, driven by both stealth and anger. Finally, "That is a private family matter, Minster," she said, scowling angrily back at the woman, "and I'm not at liberty to discuss such things with strangers."

Her aunt's glare darkened. "It would be beneficial to Eric's future if he works closely with the Mayor of Spellsburg to find the proper lodging after his arrival in the city. Mayor Prower is a personal friend of mine, and I am sure he would be willing to help Eric get settled in if I asked him for his assistance. Ulric can be very accommodating to his friends… but most inhospitable to those he deems troublemakers. I'm sure you'll find the Mayor of Spellsburg anxious to keep Eric out of any Guardian activities."

Without saying a word, Anna turned again and opened the door. Glaring back, she said, "I'll make sure he gets the message," and she closed the door with a bang without waiting for a reply.

"Thank you, my dear."

After a moment of silence, "She's is a lot like her mother," said the portrait of Mary Jennings.

The Minister looked at her sister and then again at the closed door. "For her sake… let us hope not."

52


	7. Chapter 05 - Fifty-One

Chapter 05D10

Chapter 5 (draft 10)

Fifty-One

ONE

"_Tweet-tweet-tweet…"_

"What's he saying?"

"I don't know…I can't hear anything over that obsessive whistling?"

"_Tweet-tweet-tweet…"_

"Sarasil — would you please… shut it!

"_Tweet-tweet-tweet… Camptown ladies sing this song, do-da, do-da,"_

"Please, Sarasil, be quiet!"

"_Camptown racetrack five miles long, Oh, diddley-do-da day!"_

"Tarson, can you please make him stop?" whispered one of the portraits to another, while a figure in a third picture tried to lean forward again to listen through Mister Grayson's office door.

"_Going to run all night…"_

"Sarasil… if you don't be quiet, I'm going to tell Boris to send you down to the basement again," grumbled a deep and angry voice from one of the paintings.

"_Going to run all day…"_

"For a year, this time!"

"_Baaaaak-bak-bak-bak…"_

"Facing… the wall…"

"_Wooo-woooo-woooo…"_

"…with no frame…"

"_Chirp-chirp-chirp… tweet-tweet-tweet… tweedle-dee-tweedle-dumb…__oh-go-suck-your-thumb. Bet my money on the bobtail nag…"_

"…stuffed in a box in the deepest catacombs of the vault!" roared the portrait of Tarson Grayson.

At last there was silence and all of the portraits in the hallway outside Mister Grayson's Ministry office gave a sigh in relief.

"Finally!" said the painting leaning toward the office door again. They could barely hear two voices coming from the next room.

"He's telling Dumbledore something about… about… a horcrux!" There was a collective gasp in the hallway from several of the portraits.

"Beg the Saints preserve us!"

"What else is he saying?" All the portraits leaned toward the door again to listen.

Inside the office, Boris Grayson was talking to a figure, blooming from within a blue flame over a granite bowl. The head of Albus Dumbledore was leaning in over Mister Grayson's desk.

"Are you sure about this, Boris? Are you absolutely convinced of the validity of this information?"

"Yes, Headmaster. Anna said the fractured soul within the Hall of Wonders told her there were several other horcruxes containing separate pieces of Voldemort's soul."

The master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sighed ominously. "I had suspected this might be true."

Mister Grayson was surprised. "You… suspected this, sir? But how could you have possibly known, sir?"

The image within the flames of Dumbledore seemed transported in thought. "Two years ago, I believe one of these horcruxes was destroyed by one of our students here at the school."

Mister Grayson fell back into his chair, stunned beyond words. Finally, he leaned forward again. "Sir… does this mean… Voldemort can't be…"

"Cannot be destroyed?" Dumbledore interrupted him understandably. "Yes… it would seem so. Unless, of course, every horcrux he's created is destroyed first. The question is… how many would Voldemort have made?" observed the Headmaster, reciting his own worried thoughts aloud. The wizard placed his wand to his own bearded head and then began to pull a long, delicate strand of thought from his troubled mind. He studied it closely for a moment, dangling wispily from the end of his wand, and then turned to place it in another bowl behind him.

"Thank you, Boris. I am most appreciative of this information, and will do my best to confirm its weight on the matters at hand."

The Headmaster forward again. "Listen to me now very closely. It is most important that you never repeat this information to anybody again. Do you understand?"

Mister Grayson seemed taken aback. "Yes, sir… of course."

"Not to any member of the Order of the Phoenix… not to Elimar… or even to a member of your own family."

"I understand, Headmaster."

"Good. It would be most grievous to our cause if the Dark Lord were to find out we have this knowledge. Can you also insure Anna never repeats what she's told you to anybody else?"

"I will, sir."

"It is vital Anna understand the danger in repeating this to anybody. If she were to be overheard…"

"Sir, please, I understand. Anna will be sworn to secrecy."

"Excellent." There was a slight pause. "The usual manner of communication is no longer safe here at Hogwarts, Boris. From now on, all such communiqués will have to be sent using the most secure methods we've discussed. This matter regarding your Minister assigning somebody from her office to watch over the Guardians is indeed troubling. I am sure Hogwarts will also have to endure a number of similar changes this year as well. I'm afraid these are going to be very difficult times for the Order, very difficult indeed."

The old wizard looked up at Mister Grayson again. "We are also agreed, then; Minerva will continue to mentor Anna moving forward?"

"Both Anna and I are in agreement, Professor. Our family would be honored to have Professor McGonagall sharing her time with us. Please pass on my thanks to her for her assistance in this matter."

Dumbledore smiled. "Very good. It's my understanding that Minerva has already sent Anna a letter, warning her to keep a low profile when it comes to her abilities as an Animagus. I think this is wise advice. We should do everything we can to avoid bringing more Ministry attention to the Guardians." He looked at Mister Grayson inquiringly. "And how is Anna holding up in all of this, Boris?"

Mister Grayson's expression looked troubled. "She fronts a brave face, but I know what happened at Drogo will stay with her for the rest of her life. I… I blame myself for not revealing the truth about her mother long before now. This, together with the added pressure from the Ministry, is troubling to me." He sighed. "And… I cannot hide my concerns for Anna's safety in Spellsburg."

Dumbledore looked sympathetic. "I understand your concerns, and when it comes to Spellsburg, I believe them well placed. I understand you've made arrangements for her brother to live in Spellsburg this coming year. Although I know how difficult that decision must have been for both yourself and your son, I believe it to be correct and most prudent. The Ministry will be watching him very closely as well, however. Our contacts within the Order have notified us your Minister has already reached out to the Mayor of Spellsburg about Eric Grayson's return. I take it you understand the significance of this exchange?"

Mister Grayson nodded. "Yes, I do. Eric and I have already discussed the matter at length and his priorities while living in Spellsburg. He knows who he can trust if he thinks he needs help. Fortunately for us, the security on the plateau is at an all-time high due to the escape of the other prisoner at Drogo. Although it's distressing to know the Crimson Guard hasn't caught the man yet, at least the extra security will work to our advantage until they do. I've already sent Eric ahead to prepare for the arrival of my other children. He will be studying to become a beast and creature healer at Castlewood."

"A highly noble profession, indeed," Dumbledore replied meaningfully. "I am very pleased with your planning and precautions, Boris. I believe you've done all you can to insure Anna's safety." The old wizard leaned forward again. "And as for your decision not to tell Anna about her mother, it might surprise you to know that I have always agreed with your judgment on this matter. Professor Thordarson and I have debated the issue many times over the past several years."

Mister Grayson was surprised. "Have you?"

"Yes. Ever since you first told me about the attack on your wife several years ago, and the subsequent turn in her condition, I have watched in admiration your strength to remain loyal to Victoria's memory. I know you loved her dearly, and I know too how difficult it must have been for you to place her into Saint Drogo's care."

Dumbledore sighed. "Boris… I understand the heavy weight and burden these decisions can place on the mind, and how we seek to protect those we love from the most terrible truths in life. I too have had to choose between keeping a secret for the sake of devotion and revealing the dreadful truth behind its meaning. Regrettably, you and I will always question the timing of our decisions, but we should never question our motives. It is not a sin to protect those we love… even at times… from the truth."

Mister Grayson still looked worried. "I… appreciate your wise advice, Professor. You have given me much to consider on the matter." He looked up again at the wizard within the blue flames. "I heard about your dismissal from the _gamot_, sir. I regret what they've done to you. Can nothing be done to reinstate you to this meaningful post?"

Dumbledore smiled. "A trivial matter in light of the other things facing us… and, I will admit, not entirely unexpected. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to setting aside those duties for a while. All of that bickering and debate… a coup of chickens before the feast." The two men smiled at each other.

"Take care, Boris, and remember what I said concerning our future correspondence. I will continue to pray for your safety and that of your family."

"Thank you, Professor, and I yours. I hope you have a good year at Hogwarts."

Professor Dumbledore nodded happily and then disappeared with a soft _pop_.

Mister Grayson leaned back in his chair thinking about his wife. _Was she safe? Was she in the service of Voldemort again? Does Victoria ever think about her family? Did she ever think about him… and the life they once shared so happily together?_

Mister Grayson turned his chair to look up at the portrait on the wall behind him. "I somehow hope you know… how much I still love you, my darling."

TWO

Anna and her chestnut stallion Apollo were riding alone through the forest of the Grayson estate. Although the inner motives for her evening gallop were rather grim, she couldn't help smiling at the glorious feeling of the wind whipping through her hair in perfect cadence to her mount's thumping hooves. She had spent a lot of time riding during her summer holiday away from Castlewood, and although flying on Swooper over the Shadowed Forest was still invading her nightly dreams, her time spent with Apollo had been glorious. She couldn't believe it was almost time to go back to school. She was going to miss her favorite steed.

They turned onto a thin path she knew well and ducked low through the hanging branches. Finally, they came upon a small stone building pushed into the side of the hill. As always, Anna could see the dim lights through the outer cracks in the walls. The altar candles inside the estate chapel were burning within, representing the hope always present even in the darkest of places. She slid down her saddle to the mossy ground and pulled her purple heart from her robes.

"_Alomomora,"_ she whispered, pointing at the hasp. The lock fell from the latch and Anna removed it from its rusted loop. She slid the bolt back and pushed the door open. Immediately Anna could hear them whispering in her mind as she entered the quiet space, the many voices of magic responding to her close proximity. They were always the same, a mixture of surprised excitement and concern.

"_What is happening in the world, Sithmaith?" _

"_Has the chaos begun?" _

"_Where is the first battle to commence?"_

On and on they whispered to her, hungry for knowledge and for news from the outside world. It always seemed so strange to Anna that this consciousness would be present itself to her in this way. The voices were like separate pieces of the same body, each containing a small portion of the way of things, but few knowing enough to understand its meaning. She began to understand how the most powerful magical objects seemed to know the most about what was happening, but the rest of the whispers were just fragments of lingering magic, seeking the larger body for knowledge. Anna had come to believe when enough of these fragments sensed the rise of danger, they would eventually act upon the threat together. Anna was sure the growing power of Voldemort, together with the rise of those forces working against him, must have seemed like the coming of a hurricane to this consciousness the wizards of the world called magic.

To protect itself, magic had created a champion, a herald of warning and defense. The Sithmaith was meant to safeguard magic from this coming battle, and then stop it by whatever means necessary from destroying everything in its chaotic path. Anna was meant to be that protector, a Guardian in the oldest traditions of wizard history where Merlin himself was once seated.

Anna couldn't know if her role as a Guardian was created because of her natural willingness to accept magic's cause, or because she was best suited to be changed into what was needed for its protection. Or perhaps it was as Dumbledore surmised… because her mother and father were on opposite sides of the battle. In the end, she began to realize these reasons really didn't matter to her. She had completely consented to her role as the protector of the magical gifts in the world around her. She would be the leader this consciousness was seeking and do their bidding with a trusting heart. But she also understood being a good leader meant inspiring a great deal of confidence where magic existed and sought her company. She understood her role in things very well.

"The world is safe, my friends. All is well," she assured the voices whispering around her.

"_All is well…"_

"_All is well…"_

"_All is well…"_

"I have come seeking your help. I am looking for a friend."

The individual whispers seemed to coalesce into one. _"How may we help you, Sithmaith?"_

Anna smiled. "The ally you sent to me is missing. The ghost of Leola Grayson has been captured and placed a prisoner in some kind of vessel. You brought the ally to help me and she has become my armor and my shield. I have to find her."

The whispers began to rise again and Anna was disheartened to hear what seemed like a surprised response to her request. It had been the same everywhere she went in search for the vessel containing the essence of Leola Grayson. She immediately knew this wasn't the right place to find her. Anna sat down in the pews, frustrated and frightened.

"Where could she be? I've searched everywhere for her. I've looked throughout the house, the grounds and the gardens, the forest and the cliffs. I've even checked the family vault." She looked up to the cross above the altar. "Where is she? Please… help me find her."

The whispers began to invade her prayer. _"The magic used to capture the murdered one is extremely powerful, Guardian, and beyond our reach here where you stand now. But we do hear the faint whispers within the darkness, a longing to be free, but also… something more…"_

Anna looked up again, hope invading her troubled mind. "What is it? What do you hear?"

There was a pause and then the whispers were as one again, _"The ally is here, somewhere very close, but…"_

"But…what?" Anna quickly stood. "Tell me… please."

"_We sense… hopelessness. She believes she will never be found. Oh… the despair. She believes she has failed to protect you. What is left of the ally… is crying."_

"You can hear her? Can you at least point the way?"

"_We cannot, Sithmaith. Her voice is weak and beyond the reach of those with you now. You must find others, those closer to where she is hidden."_

"But where? And how will I continue the search for her? I'm supposed to go to Castlewood tomorrow. If Leola is here, I won't be able to look for her until my return."

There was a long silence while Anna held her breath. _Leola must be outside the house somewhere,_ she thought to herself. The magic in the chapel was the only source of information of use to her so far. They could actually hear Leola crying. That could only mean she was still somewhere on the grounds.

"_You will require assistance — somebody to continue the search while you are away."_

Once again Anna was surprised. "But nobody knows Leola has returned, but me and my friends Gwendolyn Reese and Sarah Bell. Who could I depend on to search for her while I'm at Castlewood?"

"_There is another. Someone close by — who is also aware of Leola Grayson's return."_

Anna was stunned. "What?" Her mind suddenly dashed about, running through all the names of those close to her: _Tencha, Dowla, Damon,_ she looked up. "Eric? But Eric is in Spellsburg, it couldn't be him." Her eyes widened in horror. "Daddy?"

"_No, Sithmaith, your father has no knowledge of Leola's return." _

Anna was suddenly relieved. She still had not told her father about Leola's murder at the hands of Victoria Grayson.

"Who, then?"

"_Leola Grayson revealed herself to another Guardian soon after your joining last year."_

"Another… WHAT?" Anna turned on the spot in disbelief. "There's… another Guardian somewhere close by, one that I don't know about?"

"_So it would seem."_

"Who is it?"

"_This Guardian can assist you in your search for the ally."_

"Who is it? Tell me!"

"_Go and search out the other…"_

"Hold on, don't go… I demand you stay and tell me who it is!" There was no reply.

Five minutes later, Anna was galloping recklessly through the woods toward the stables. _Another Guardian was here she didn't know about? How could that be? Who was it? And why would Leola reveal herself to this person without telling her? _She dipped her head once more as she broke into a final clearing; the stables were just ahead. She could see Mr. Porchdow, the estate's stable master, waving a lit wand toward her. Anna skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Out a little late tonight, missy. You know your father doesn't like you out after dark."

Anna jumped down from her saddle. "Yes — I know, Sam… sorry about that. I got held up." She whipped out her wand, pointed it at her saddle, and quickly muttered the appropriate charm. The saddle unbuckled itself and rose up.

"Hey… you're getting pretty good with that wand of yours," Samuel observed with a grin. Anna was barely listening.

"Sorry, Sam, but I can't talk right now. I have to get back to the house as quick as possible. I have something really important I have to do," Anna replied, sitting the saddle in its proper place. She was thinking about her family. This unknown Guardian had to be one of her siblings, and she thought she knew who it might be. The twins had already been through the Mirror of Enlightenment a second time while still at Castlewood. That only left Damon. On her ride back from the chapel, it suddenly occurred to her that Damon had always been reluctant to reenter the mirror again. She remembered the occasion the year before, when the news came to them about Leola's attack on her father. It was then that the twins revealed they had already reentered the mirror and were confirmed to be Searchers. When pressed to enter the mirror himself, Damon would only say he would think about it. Anna's mind was racing. _Would Leola Grayson reveal herself to her youngest son, to Damon?_

"Kids today… always in a rush," Samuel remarked, watching Anna grab her bucket of grooming brushes.

"Here — here… let me do that. You'll never do the thing right in such a rush. You get back to the house and take care of your business."

Anna didn't hesitate. "Oh — thank you, Sam." She handed him the bucket and turned to give Apollo a kiss on the nose. "Sorry, boy, but I have to go. I'll see you again over the Christmas holiday, okay?" She gave her horse a lump of sugar and headed out the door.

"Thanks again, Sam. See you in December!"

"Have a good trip, Anna. And be careful on the path back to the house. There's a new moon out tonight and very dark. Not a fit night for man or ghost."

Anna froze on the spot and then slowly turned. She could see Samuel reaching into his bucket to retrieve one of the coarse-haired brushes and then heard him cooing softly to Apollo as he began to swipe over the horse's coat. Anna reentered the stable again, not exactly sure what she wanted to say. Samuel looked up and frowned.

"You still here? Thought you'd be halfway up the hill by now. Forget something?" he asked, continuing his work.

Anna stepped behind him. "Sam… what did you mean when you said, 'Not a fit night for man or ghost'?"

Samuel glanced up at her again and frowned, still brushing Apollo's coat. "What? Did I say that?" He finally stopped and banged his brushes together to clear them. "Just a figure of speech, I guess. Listen… if you're gonna hang around, I'd just as soon give these back to you."

Anna jerked a quick smile. "Sam… can I ask you something?"

"Sure!" replied the grinning stable master, returning to Apollo's back.

"Have you seen any… ah… any new ghosts anywhere on the property?"

Samuel stopped again and straightened. "Are you serious?"

"I am, Sam. Have you? Please… it's very important that I know the truth."

Still frowning, Samuel dropped his brushes back into the bucket, wiped his dirty hands on his apron, and then turned to study her. "No… can't say as I have. You know Cookie wouldn't allow a new ghost to hang around here." He tilted his head to look at her, again. "Why? Have you seen anything unusual? If so, we'd better tell your father about it right away. The last time Cookie fell off on the job, Mister Grayson was attacked."

"So you haven't seen anything unusual? No new ghosts anywhere on the property?" Anna asked him again.

"I already told you I haven't. You?"

Anna looked away. "No… nothing unusual…" she lied.

Samuel studied her again. "Well then… just a poor choice of words on my part. Sorry about that," he said, his friendly grin returning again. He reached in and grabbed his brushes once more.

"I'd better finish this before the little woman starts yelling at me about being late for dinner." The man's stare fell behind her. "Speak of the devil… how long have you been there?" Anna turned around to find Mrs. Porchdow standing at the sable door. The normally jovial Edith Porchdow looked strangely somber.

"Your supper is getting cold, old man. Am I to presume I'm eating alone tonight?" said the woman in an aggravated tone of voice.

"Just cleaning up the last of it now, dear. I'll be in shortly," Mr. Porchdow replied, now brushing Apollo a little more hurriedly.

"It was my fault, Edith. I should have been back from my ride much earlier," Anna tried to explain.

Mrs. Porchdow cupped her hands and smiled. "I'll walk you back to the forest's edge while Samuel finishes his chores," she offered kindly, motioning her out the stable door behind her. She quickly looked back at her husband. "A little more pace is in order, Samuel. I'm not reheating your supper."

"Dang-blast-it, woman, I'm working as fast as I can! Leave me be!"

Mrs. Porchdow turned with Anna outside. They walked together toward the entrance to the woods and as they entered the line of trees guarding the path up the hill, Anna was surprised to see Mrs. Porchdow follow her in.

"I heard you talking to Samuel in the sables, Anna. I wanted to speak to you about it alone and out of sight of the house." The woman stopped. "What were you asking my husband just now?"

Anna stared at the woman and frowned. "Oh… I was just asking Sam if… if he had seen any new ghosts on the property."

Mrs. Porchdow turned to continue walking up the hill and Anna to follow her. She didn't seem surprised by Anna's words.

"Does this mean you have seen something unexpected on the grounds yourself?"

Anna frowned. "I didn't say that; I was just curious if anybody else had seen anything."

Mrs. Porchdow glanced back at her as she continued along. "You have to admit though, it's an interesting thing to ask," the woman commented, "especially in these troubled times. You know better than anybody how these woods can create the occasional oddities. Sometimes it might be the moon playing tricks in the shadows, or the reflection of water in the trees, the old growth moaning in the wind." She stopped abruptly and looked up. "Sometimes, the sound they make can almost sizzle… like an echoed warning."

Anna's eyes widened. "It's you! You've seen her, haven't you?"

The woman slowly turned. "Seen whom, my dear? One must be cautious when asking about such things."

Anna was sure the woman knew; the expressionless look on her face did not match her inquiring tone. Her descriptions of sizzling warnings were dead on. Throwing her remaining caution aside, Anna stepped closer and then whispered, "Leola."

The woman smiled broadly and suddenly grabbed Anna's hands in hers. "Oh — thank God you said the name first. Yes, dear, I too have seen my old friend, walking in these very woods. So she has revealed herself to you as well. Oh… this is wonderful! She made me promise not to tell anybody she was back, but I've longed to share this secret with somebody," the woman rambled on. Mrs. Porchdow began to sob as she reached down to hug Anna tight.

As they separated again, Anna looked up at her. "You're a Guardian?"

The woman frowned. "A what? No… of course not, dear. Why would you ask me…?"

"Because I was told Leola Grayson had revealed herself to one other, to another Guardian like me."

"I… don't know who could have told you such a thing. I have no knowledge of this… this Guardian you speak of." She quickly changed the subject. "Tell me… when was the last time you saw Leola? I've been looking for her for days now, but she seems to have disappeared entirely."

Anna took a deep breath, "I know where she is, or at least I know what's happened to her, but it's going to take some time to explain. Where can we go to talk?"

They returned to the Porchdow garden house where Edith sent her husband on an errand to insure they wouldn't be overheard. After sending a quick owl to her father to explain she would be late for dinner, Anna sat to explain nearly everything she knew. She told Mrs. Porchdow about her first year at Castlewood, how magic had revealed itself to her and how it moved to bring about the Guardians of old because of Voldemort's imminent return. She cautiously left out the parts regarding Leola's murder and the fact that her mother Victoria was still alive. Finally, Anna told Mrs. Porchdow about the ally being held a prisoner somewhere on the estate. Anna took nearly an hour to explain all of this and Mrs. Porchdow looked shaken as she finally stood to make the tea. After using her wand to bring the kettle to boil, she turned to face Anna again.

"So… you're saying these Guardians, counting yourself, number about fifty?"

"Fifty-one now, counting you," Anna corrected her.

"I don't understand. How could I be a Guardian? I'm well beyond my time at Castlewood."

"I don't think that matters anymore. My brother Eric is still a Guardian and he's already graduated. What really matters, I think, is who you are inside."

Mrs. Porchdow frowned. "And… what exactly would that be?"

"Well… I can only tell you what I know from those who became Guardians last year. They all seem to have their own personality: Some are very forthright and aggressive, but they usually inspire others with a gentle heart. Others are always kind, but they can be just as convincing in their own way. There is, however, something common I've seen in all of them."

"What's that?"

"They don't like seeing the things of magic mistreated or abused."

Mrs. Porchdow sat at the table again and handed Anna a cup of tea. "I don't understand, dear."

"Well… all of the Guardians of Castlewood come from different parts of the country, so you would think they wouldn't agree on much of anything. But when it comes to protecting the things of magic, there is an amazing union of togetherness I've witnessed several times. They don't like seeing magical creatures hurt or abused, and they barely tolerate the ways in which magical objects are used within the castle. In fact, I even witnessed one Guardian hiding a magical crystal before incantations class last semester when she thought the instructor intended to use it during a demonstration. And don't even get me started when it comes to protecting the house elves."

Mrs. Porchdow smirked. "Mr. Porchdow would say you've just described me to a tee." She looked wonderingly up at the ceiling. "Me… a Guardian? I… I don't know what to say." She looked down at Anna again and seemed to catch herself from a brief moment of pride. "So why do you think Leola was attacked?"

"I don't know. I can only guess it was because somebody tried to enter the grounds again and she moved to protect us. It must have taken a very powerful spell to entrap her within some kind of object."

"Something — powerfully — evil," Mrs. Porchdow agreed.

Anna leaned in. "Edith… why do you think Leola revealed herself to you?"

The woman leaned back in her chair to think. "I don't know. I can only surmise it was because we were very good friends in our day. The moment she first entered the house as its mistress, I fell in love with her. She was so wonderful and funny, and she dearly loved your father and Victoria." Anna cringed.

"In those days, of course, your mother Victoria lived in the Jennings' estate on the other side of the property. There were many garden parties and so much singing and laughter. Leola and I worked for hours together, preparing the gardens for the festivities she was always planning. And then, quick as a flash, she would change out of her dirty, blackened clothes, and into her finest gowns to play the stately hostess." She stopped short and dropped her head; Anna could see her eyes beginning to tear. "I miss her dearly."

Anna came forward in her chair. "I need you to continue the search for Leola while I'm away at Castlewood. We have to find out where she is and destroy the vessel holding her prisoner."

The woman shook her head, looking at Anna worriedly. "That won't be easy. The vessel could be just about anything, an object, a building, even one of the wild animals living on this estate or beyond." She suddenly stopped, as if disappointed in her own negative attitude. Her stare became rigid. "But Guardian or not, this old witch still has a few tricks up her sleeve." She reached out and gently patted Anna's hand. "We'll find her, dear, and we'll set her free in short-order."

Anna smiled and then offered something more. "If you need any help in your search, go to the old, stone chapel and… ah… meditate out loud a little." Mrs. Porchdow frowned curiously. "Trust me," Anna continued, "it'll help you more than you think."

Just then the door to the cottage opened and Mr. Porchdow was back.

"Hidi-Ho, ladies! You gals still yakkin'?" he asked them, sitting a large basket of apples down on the table. "Still don't know why you sent me out for these _Grannys_, woman. We still have two sacks full in the basement."

Mrs. Porchdow smiled. "You didn't complain when you were eatin' the last pie I made for you!"

Mr. Porchdow stopped to think. "Oh-yeah," he cooed longingly. He looked at Anna. "She does make a handsome pie, that wife of mine. Have some?"

Anna started to rise. "No thanks, Sam. I haven't had my dinner yet and I'm already late. I guess I should be going."

"Okay… but before you go runnin' off again, I've got something for you," the man said, rubbing his hands together eagerly before opening the front door again. "I was going to send it to you after you left, but I can't wait for you to see it. It's just outside here."

"What are you up to now, old man," hollered his wife as Samuel stepped out onto the porch.

"Hold on — hold on, you'll see." He disappeared for a moment and then returned quickly with something large under his arm.

"Here it is. All finished up just the way you asked, Anna." He flipped the large object over and set it down on the kitchen table.

"What in blue-blazes is that?" asked Mrs. Porchdow in amazement.

"Why… it's a flying door, of course. Best one I've ever carved; made special just to Anna's specifications."

Anna looked in astonishment at the door sitting upon the table. It was made of solid oak, which was carved to a point at the top, like it was meant to fit in a church archway. The center of the door was slightly raised and left roughened by a pair of very experienced hands. The edging, however, was carved with intricately woven branches and leaves, set in a dark brown finish.

"Take a look at the underside," he said, flipping the door over.

Anna gasped. "Oh it's beautiful, Sam… absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it," she said, running her hands down its smoothly finished bottom. In the center of the door was the Guardian crest. Its shield, facing dragons, and gleaming sword were set upon a purple background.

"Figured you wouldn't mind my taking a little artistic liberty," he added, pointing down at the beautifully detailed carvings within the shield. "But I thought when you go speeding around that slalom course, there shouldn't be any question about who's going to win the race. I sealed the bottom with _Ashwinder Wax_; that'll make it tougher'in steel. And the hover charm I've put on it will make it easy to carry, despite its weight."

Anna reached out and hugged him. "Oh Sam, it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. When I asked you to help me build one, I didn't mean you should go to all this trouble."

"So you like it? Think it'll suit ya?"

Anna's eyes flashed. "Is it fast?"

The man frowned. "Well… I don't rightly know. I went all day yesterday trying to stand on the blasted thing, but it's as wily as a fox at the horn." Anna smiled eagerly.

"What in God's name are those?" Mrs. Porchdow asked, pointing at one of three vertical pieces of wood sticking up at the back. They looked like the fins of a shark.

"Turners! Or so Anna tells me," Mr. Porchdow replied distrustfully.

"Skegs," Anna said, correcting him, looking down one of the fin's edges for straightness. "They help you turn and maneuver better."

"Well… maybe so on one of them doors you take to the ocean, but I'm not so sure how they're gonna to work in the air," the stable master countered. "It's too dark for flying now; you'll have to tell me how it performs for'ya when you get to Castlewood."

64


	8. Chapter 06 - Back to Castlewood

Chapter 06D15

Chapter 6 (draft 15)

Back to Castlewood

ONE

The steel, gray sky was cold and gloomy, and the wind felt wet as the great ship, the Allegheny Pride, creaked and moaned through the mist. Anna was alone, leaning against the railing and overlooking the green ocean stretching hundreds of miles in front of her. She wrapped her arms tight around her body; the cold and salty spray made her shiver. As the ship leaned back and slowly fell back down, Anna was thinking about her father. He was alone again.

Now that Eric had decided to continue his studies in Spellsburg, there was no one left to deflect their father's isolation. Although the master of the Grayson estate would never complain, the thought of his loneliness saddened Anna more than not seeing him again until the Christmas holiday. She remembered taking her place in _the line_ before leaving that morning and, for the first time in her life, she thought her father looked tired and, dare she admit it - old. His advice to Tencha and Dowla, now standing in their seventh-year robes, was missing its usual air of warning that always came when they where about to travel _out of his reach_, and his words to Damon were lacking their standard level of stealthy admonition, which always spooled her brother's arrogance for a short period of time following their departure. His questions and advice to Anna were much more calculated…_What was it he said?_

"Anna… the last time you were in this line I asked you the question, 'What is the most important strength we as a family possess?' Do you remember what you said?"

Anna cast her memory back, and then, "Our faith and love," she replied cautiously.

He smiled. "That's right. You said these were gifts from God." His face seemed to dissolve into disquieted concern. "But there is another strength that our family, including myself, rarely takes advantage… and that would be patience." Anna frowned as her father stepped closer to explain.

"I believe your patience will be tested this year, Anna, as never before in the past."

"I don't understand, father."

"I have come to believe the Ministry will eventually move to dissolve the Guardian Union." From the corner of her eye, Anna could see Damon and the twins looking over at them. She stared back at her father in utter disbelief.

"Surely not, Daddy; they wouldn't."

Mister Grayson held up a halting hand. "And when that time comes, I want you to think about these words: 'A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. If the game runs sometimes against us at home, we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.'"

Anna knew his words well. "Thomas Jefferson?" Her father nodded as Anna continued, "'People who expect to be ignorant and free expect what never was and never will be.'"

Her father finally smiled. "Your Muggle schooling was always first rate. Do you understand what President Jefferson meant by these words?"

Anna thought for a moment. "It means the Ministry has lost touch with the people it hopes to govern, but we can't let that fact stop us from doing what is right."

Mister Grayson leaned in to kiss Anna on the cheek. "You're absolutely right, but we all have a job to do in reaching that goal. Your job is to remain patient… until the effort working to change the hearts and minds of those in the Ministry has a chance to take hold. Can I depend on you to remain tolerant and keep your patience in the days to come?"

Anna took a deep breath. "Yes… father, of course."

Anna looked out across the infinite ocean in front of her again. _What will it take to make people believe Voldemort was back? How many people will have to die before the Ministry understands what they're up against? Why was the Minister of Magic so close-minded about Voldemort's return?_ She looked down at the purple embroidery on her arm; two strips for a second year student at Castlewood Academy. The words of her father were repeated their warning in her head, 'Your job is to remain patient.'

She thought about her mother. _Where was she right now? Was she with Voldemort? And who was controlling her actions? Was it the evil one, or could Victoria Grayson gather the strength necessary to fight for her own identity?_ Either way, Anna knew her mother was in very serious danger. If the evil one was in control, who knows what Voldemort would have her doing next. Perhaps it was this piece of her mother's fractured mind that had reentered the Grayson property and was confronted by the ally. _But if Victoria was strong enough to push the Dark Lord's servant aside then what would Voldemort do to her in retaliation?_ The thought of it made Anna shudder.

She thought about her mother's kaleidoscope. The _horde_ of the Verosapt could tell her what her mother was doing. This information would satisfy Anna's need to know about her mother, but this was unimportant to the Order of the Phoenix. She could tell her father exactly where Voldemort was hiding or where some of his horcruxes were kept. She sighed ominously. Her father had warned her not to tell anybody of Voldemort's horcruxes, _but_ _if the Verosapt could tell us where they were hidden… then again… what of Leola Grayson?_ _What if Mrs. Porchdow couldn't locate the vessel keeping her ally a prisoner?_

The young Guardian sighed; she would have to forego her ambitions to find out what Voldemort and her mother were doing and use the one question to the Verosapt given to her on her birthday to find and free Leola.

Anna looked down again at her Guardian colors. _Would there be any new Guardians after the upcoming joining? _Shecertainly hoped so; she was going to need all the help she could get this year.

A moment later, a great horned owl landed on the railing next to her. He peered up at her, clicking his beak madly and stretching out a single scaled foot. Attached was a small scroll with familiar green ink printed on its edges. Anna carefully removed the scroll and watched as the bird was swept away by the cold wind. It was a letter from the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor McGonagall.

_Miss Grayson, _

_The Headmaster of Hogwarts has informed me we are to carry on with our correspondences in the upcoming school year so as to build upon your training we discussed when last we were together. I have agreed to continue to be your mentor with the following understandings: First, you will write to me on a weekly basis to report on the exercises that I have prescribed for you, together with any and all side effects pertinent to your assignments. Secondly, by purposeful intension or happenstance, you are not to disclose your abilities to anyone, and there will be no more dalliances of the sort described to me by Professor Dumbledore akin to your last trip into the Shadowed Forest. You will follow my training to the letter and without question. If you are in agreement to these terms, I would be most satisfied to continue with your instruction._

_I feel it necessary to remind you both the Ministry and the Wizarding community in general have traditionally mistrusted the wizards and wizards blessed with your abilities. As such, any purposeful violation of our agreement could very well result in your having to go through the Ministry's registration process and, thus, make your gifts known to all. This would be contrary to our advice and your father's wishes during these most difficult and troubled times. _

_I hope this letter finds you and your family well, and I look forward to your reply and consent. _

_Yours Very Sincerely, Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Head Mistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Anna looked up from the letter and frowned. "No more dalliances into the Shadowed Forest? Hmmm…" _What did Dumbledore tell McGonagall? _She balled up the parchment and dropped it into the ocean below her.

"Not to worry, Professor, I don't think I'll be going to Drogo again for quite a while."

"There you are," sang a voice behind her. Anna turned and smiled. Her two best friends, Gwendolyn Reese and Sarah Bell, were walking toward her.

TWO

"You two get your owls off okay?" Anna asked them.

"Yeah… mom and dad should be pacified until I hit the dock," Gwen replied wearily. She was still wearing her summer clothes, a pair of tight fitting jeans and a blue top that matched the laces in her sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a girlish ponytail, which didn't stop several boys standing to the side from ogling her.

Sarah Bell looked like she had grown several inches in the months they were apart, and Anna could already see her roommate's puerile looks giving way to the beautiful young woman she would soon become. In fact, now that Anna was seeing her two friends standing side by side, she became conscious of the fact that Sarah looked a lot like Gwen. With her silky blond hair flowing beautifully down upon her shoulders and guardian robes, she could have passed for Gwen's younger sister. She was carrying a very long and stiff looking bag against one shoulder.

"What's in the bag, Sarah?" Anna asked her roommate, pointing at the strange object sticking into the air.

"Not-ah-ah," Gwen hissed, glaring back at Sarah challengingly. "Not a word… that was the bargain, remember?"

"I didn't say anything," Sarah replied, smiling coyly.

Gwen looked over at Anna. "Sarah here is trying to pull a dose of Muggle rubbish over our eyes. She says she's brought them to use for her sport this year at Castlewood," Gwen smirked, pointing at the long black bag resting over Sarah's shoulder. "We have a _sickle_ bet she's lying."

Anna smiled. "So… you gonna tell me what's in the bag?"

Gwen looked again at Sarah. "She says they're used for… skying." Gwen shot a look of disbelief back at Anna, testing Sarah's story for the truth.

"Skying? What's that?" Anna said with a frown.

"Huh! I knew you were lying," Gwen yelped, pointing an accusing finger back at Sarah. "All that stuff about strapping boards to your feet and sliding down a mountain of snow — pay up!"

"Oh… you mean skiing!" Anna said correctly, and she watched amusedly as Gwen's face quickly dropped. "Are you bringing skis to Spellsburg?"

Sarah Bell beamed. "Our Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Bots, gave me permission to bring them before we left for the summer holiday. He said he would give me extra credit this year if I give a skiing demonstration to the school." She turned to look at Gwen. "I told you last year my family lived on a ski hill. They're ski instructors."

"Yeah… well…" Gwen stumbled uncertainly, "but you never said what that really meant, did you?" She looked over at Anna. "Don't tell me she's serious? Muggles actually strap sticks on their feet to slide around in the snow?"

Anna giggled. "Fraid so. I've always wanted to try it."

Gwen's face quickly hardened. "Well you can count me out! Of all the silly things."

Sarah stepped forward and stuck out her hand. "Yeah… well, silly or not — pay up!"

Gwen smirked as she handed over the silver before looking back at Anna. "I think I liked her better when she was shy."

"Let's find a cabin below deck," Anna suggested. "I have something I want to show you."

The three headed down a steep staircase and stopped in a hallway filled with passing students. They could hear loud complaining in front and saw a gruff looking first-year girl shoving others to the side as she came toward them.

"Move out of the way!" the girl bellowed to a third-year boy in front of Gwen who quickly moved aside looking annoyed by the girl's rudeness. "Stand aside," the girl barked at Gwen without bothering to look at her.

"Plenty of room for everybody, you know," Gwen answered back irritated. The girl tried to shove her way past. "Hey… you don't have to push." The girl didn't reply as she shoved Sarah to the other side to get by her.

"Hey, watch out," Anna said angrily, barely recovering from toppling over her roommate.

"Move, then!" the girl demanded, peering up through her short blonde hair and bangs that covered most of her face,

Anna stiffened as the girl tried to push past her again. "You're going to hurt somebody. If you haven't noticed, it's kind of tight through here."

The girl finally glared up at her through a curtain of yellow hair. "Then get out of my way."

"What's your problem?"

"I said move!"

"You know… most first-year eggs carry a bit more respectful for the other students around them," Gwen growled. "You might want to go back the way you came and look for your manners."

The girl wheeled around and glared heatedly at Gwen. "Fine!" she answered gruffly, and then without warning she almost bowled through Gwen to retreat in the direction opposite.

Recovering quickly, Gwen was incensed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The girl didn't answer as she continued to shove her way past those in front of her again. Gwen turned to look back at Anna and Sarah.

"I hope she runs into a seventh-year Laborer along the way."

Anna nodded angrily and then motioned for them to follow. They finally found an open cabin and filed in.

"What's up?" Gwen asked her curiously.

"Sit down. I've been keeping a subscription to _The Spellsburg Seer_ over the holiday. Have you been reading it?"

"Over the summer? What are you, nuts?" Gwen replied, surprised that anybody would read a newspaper while on vacation. She looked over at Sarah and shrugged. Anna unrolled her copy of the _Seer_ and showed them the headline.

**ESCAPED PRISONER AT DROGO STILL AT LARGE**

The paper contained the pictures of two men on the front page: One depicted four guards dragging one man away kicking and screaming after receiving his sentence from the Wizard _Gamot_. The subject in the other picture was of an older man, looking serenely back at them from his photo.

Gwen took the paper from Anna and began to read aloud. "The Ministry of Magic today released another public statement concerning the escaped Drogo prisoner, Reginald Carter. Mr. Carter, Prisoner number A03031990A, has spent the last five years in Saint Drogo Hospital for Incurable Lost Causes for a number of violent crimes in the United States and Canada. The press release yesterday has confirmed that during his escape, Carter also killed another prisoner, Mr. Arief Sugianto, who was serving a life sentence in Drogo for multiple murders."

Gwen looked up, "Sugianto? Hey… we've heard that name before somewhere, haven't we?"

Anna leaned in. "Yes, we have. Do you remember that newspaper article Dowla gave to me last year about Saint Drogo castle… in exchange for the hopscotch rules?"

"Yeah…"

"Sugianto was mentioned in that article. It said he spent the last forty years in Drogo for killing his family."

Gwen eyes widened. "Oh yeah… but it wasn't for just killing them," she added, her face screwed up in disgust, "it said he ate them."

"That's right… and more than a hundred other Muggles too," Anna finished as Sarah let out a muffled yelp of surprise. Anna and Gwen looked over at her and then realized Sarah wasn't with them the day they discovered Drogo's location.

"Sorry, Sarah. I should have warned you this was pretty heavy stuff."

"So… this guy, Carter, he killed Sugianto? Gwen asked. "Well… while it's not a pleasant thought to know they haven't caught the guy yet, as far as Sugianto goes, there's no loss there, ay?"

"It would seem the Ministry agrees with you; read on."

Gwen looked down at the paper again and read, "The Ministry has yet to explain exactly how Carter could have escaped from the most secure hospital prison in the world, or how this prisoner could have gotten into another locked cell to murder Mr. Sugianto. According to the spokesman for the Ministry Authority, Detective Lieutenant Farren Doyle, 'The priority of the Ministry today is the capture of Carter. When he's back in Ministry hands, we will ascertain exactly how he gained access to Mr. Sugianto's cell and why he thought it necessary to murder him. This office can assure the public the Ministry is doing all it can to find this man as quickly as possible. We have a good idea of his general location in a very remote part of the country surrounding the prison. There is no chance whatsoever of this fugitive ever coming into contact with the general population.'

"Unfortunately," Gwen continued, "these statements came as little comfort to those demanding to know exactly where the Office of Wizard Law Enforcement was focusing its search for the escaped prisoner."

Gwen let the newspaper fall to the table. "But the area surrounding the prison… that would be the Shadowed Forest," she said in a concerned voice.

"Yeah… and Spellsburg too," Anna added, worriedly. "I don't know how the Ministry can possibly say this guy wouldn't come into contact with the public when one of the biggest Wizarding cities in the world is just a few miles away from Drogo."

"But… the Crimson Guard is in the city," Sarah said, looking positively horror struck at the thought of an escaped murderer being so close to the school. "The man wouldn't go to Spellsburg, would he?"

"I don't know about that," Gwen observed. "There's no way off that mountain except through the plateau and the tramcars down to the ships. If I were Carter, Spellsburg is the first place I'd go. He'd have no other way to escape but to try and steal down to the docks. That is, of course, if something in the Shadowed Forest hasn't already eaten him."

"Yeah, but the Crimson Guards at Drogo are going to know there's a chance he'll go to Spellsburg, wouldn't they?" Anna added quickly. "My father told me we're going to find the security within the city extremely high. Everybody in and out is being monitored closely and their IDs checked. He said the Ministry Authority is doing the same thing in other parts of the Wizarding world as well, so they don't tip the public off to where Drogo might be."

Sarah picked up the newspaper and looked at the photographs on the front page. "Is that Carter?" she asked, pointing at the smiling man staring back at her.

Anna leaned over. "No, that's the prisoner who was killed, Sugianto. Carter is the other one screaming his fool head off."

"Oh my…" Sarah whispered watching the Crimson Guards dragging the kicking man from the courtroom.

Gwen looked at the picture of Sugianto and swallowed hard. "In my opinion, it's the quiet ones you should fear the most," she said, pointing down at the grinning picture. "Look at that man's eyes. He could be your next door neighbor and you'd never know he was really a murderer."

"Could we change the subject, please," Sarah said, turning away from the paper.

"What's the problem? The man's dead," Gwen said with a grin. "It's Carter we need to be worried about. Gosh… I hope the Ministry catches him soon."

Sarah ignored Gwen as she reached over to cup Anna's hand across the table between them.

"Has there been any word… about… your mother?" she asked cautiously. Gwen looked surprised by Sarah's question and then looked over to Anna with obvious concern.

"No… not yet. My father thinks…" Anna hesitated, "she might be with Voldemort."

Gwen and Sarah were stunned.

"What? No way," Gwen said. "Why would she go back to him after everything he did to her? You told us on the way home how he…" she stopped, waited a few seconds, and then cautiously leaned in, "…how he tortured her. Why would she return to him after that?"

There was a pause as Anna tried to find the right words. "Because the evil one inside her is stronger than my mother, that's why." She looked up at her friends and they could see the pain Anna was struggling to control.

"No… I don't believe that, Anna," Gwen refused, supportively. "Your mother is much stronger than this other personality. She proved that when she tried to warn you about… the other… while you were in Drogo, remember? You told us how she argued with _You-Know-Who's _servant, right? She wouldn't go back to him now, not after all he's done."

Anna shook her head. "There's another reason I believe she's with him," and she told them about her trip to the Ministry, her visit to the Hall of Wonders, and how she found the horcrux containing the soul of the condemned man RufusMalissifa. After explaining what a horcrux was, she found her friends staring back at her in appalled shock.

"My God," Sarah whimpered, covering her mouth. "He put his own soul… into the cup?"

Gwen was scowling disbelievingly. "I've never heard of such a thing. And… you have to murder somebody to do this? That is so sick."

Adhering to her father's insistence she never reveal the terrible revelation that Voldemort had created several horcruxes, Anna told them about the vessel holding Leola Grayson and her belief it was probably her mother who had imprisoned the ally. When she finished telling them about Mrs. Porchdow being Guardian, Gwen couldn't contain herself any longer.

"Edith Porchdow… your gardener? That Edith Porchdow?" Gwen asked in disbelief. "Wow… that's incredible. And you think she'll be able to find your stepmother?"

The question surprised Anna. She had never thought of Leola Grayson as a stepmother, but after rolling this inspiration around in her head, she found she actually liked the idea.

"I don't know," Anna finally answered, "but she has to be found. I've got to find a way to free her and then find out who imprisoned her." She finally leaned back. "I owe her that much for saving my life at Drogo. She was probably trying to protect my family again when she was attacked."

The three of them sat quietly together, Sarah and Gwen slowing digesting this new information until they could hear the captain on the upper deck shouting orders to the crew.

Sarah finally spoke. "Hey, I forget to tell you… I received an owl from Hogwarts over the summer." She reached down to dig into the bag sitting next to her.

"An owl from Hogwarts?" Anna answered in surprise. "From whom?"

"Well — not from the school, actually, but from one of its students. Ah… here it is." She removed a scroll of parchment from her bag.

"It's from a girl named Hermione Granger. She'll be starting her fifth-year at Hogwarts."

"Why would a fifth-year at Hogwarts write to you?" Gwen asked, incredulously.

"Because I made a donation to S.P.E.W. Hermione Granger is the President of the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare at Hogwarts. There was a funny little article about it in the newspaper last year, and well… I thought the writer was rather rude about this group in the story. I don't understand why. It seemed like a worthy cause to me… protecting elf's rights in the Wizarding world."

Anna thought about Gabby and Widwick back at home, and how Damon constantly abused them. "What a great idea," she said enthusiastically. "It's about time somebody stuck up for the elves. Well… besides us, I mean."

"So… what does this Granger say in the letter?" Gwen asked.

Sarah Bell unrolled the scroll to read:

_Dear Sarah,_

_Thank you very much for your generous contribution to S.P.E.W. I have enclosed a copy of our new charter and our goals, which include the following: __To secure house elves fair wages and working conditions, change the wizarding law regarding non-wand use, and work to include a house elf in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I believe we've had a very good first year as a society. We've been able to increase our ranks and, most importantly, increase public awareness for the need of increased protection of elfish rights. It's a good start, but we still have so much to do. We appreciate your very generous donation of 1 galleon, which will be used for additional flyers and materials for making clothes here at Hogwarts to set the elves free. I will be sending the minutes from our next meeting to you so you may see the good work made possible by your donation. _

_On behalf of all the elves everywhere in the Wizarding world, thank you again for your generosity. I hope you wear your S.P.E.W. badge proudly as so many others do here at Hogwarts._

_Yours very truly, _

_Hermione__Granger/President of S.P.E.W._

_Harry Potter/Secretary_

_Ronald Weasley/Treasurer_

Sarah held up a silver badge with the letters: S.P.E.W stamped upon it.

"_SPEW?"_ Gwen said, disbelievingly. "Does that say — _SPEW?"_

Sarah looked at the badge again. "No… it's S.P.E.W."

"Yeah… and that spells _SPEW_. Geez — you would've thought this Granger would have put a little more thought into the name."

"Well I think it's brilliant, Sarah," Anna said. "I'll send my galleon off when we get to Castlewood."

"It's only two sickles to join; I just added a bit more, because… well… it is for the elves."

"And does it really say Harry Potter is also a member of _SPEW_?" Gwen said, grabbing the parchment again and glaring down at the bottom suspiciously. "Well… I'll… be." She looked up. "He is. Well that cuts it; I'm not giving anything to _SPEW_ now."

"Why not?" Anna and Sarah said together.

"Because Harry Potter cost me two galleons last year when he won the Triwizard Tournament. I thought that handsome Cedric Diggory was a shoe in to win the whole thing for sure," she said, falling back with a huff. "I guess good looks didn't count for anything with those stupid judges." She looked up. "What?" Anna and Sarah were laughing hysterically.

Anna looked at her roommate. "So how is your mother doing, Sarah? Is everything alright at home?"

Sarah looked at her and smiled. "Yeah… she's fine. I little embarrassed by the whole affair, but she's doing okay."

Gwen frowned. "What's going on?"

Anna looked up and then over to Sarah again. It was obvious she was seeking permission to tell Gwen something important.

Sarah shrugged and Anna leaned over to Gwen. "Sarah's mother was arrested over the summer."

"Arrested!" Gwen looked over at Sarah. "Arrested for what?"

Sarah smiled. "She was protesting the logging on the other side of the our ski hill."

"Logging? What's that?"

"It's a business where they cut down trees to make lumber."

Gwen frowned. "And that's bad?"

"Not normally, but my mother and father believe that if it's done incorrectly… it can harm the environment."

"And they arrested your mother for believing that?" Gwen asked her.

"Well… no… she wasn't' arrested because of what she believes… it was because…" Sarah hesitated and Anna smiled.

"Tell her," Anna said and then she looked over at Gwen. "I think it's brilliant."

Sarah smiled again. "They took my mother to jail because she chained herself to a tree."

Gwen was surprised. "SHE WHAT?"

"To keep them from cutting it down," Sarah added quickly. "It was the only thing she could think to do to stop the cutting."

Gwen's jaw dropped. "And did it work?"

Sarah smiled again. "Yes… it did. They couldn't cut the tree down with my mother chained around the trunk, so they began cutting down all the trees around her."

"Oh my God!" Gwen yelped.

"Yeah… it was quite a scene. It even made the evening news on TV and it inspired others to join her. The next day there were a dozen others chained to trees all over the side of the mountain. Eventually, the local sheriff had to cut their chains and arrested them and my mom spent the next week in jail, but then a judge ruled that all the cutting should stop until the protester's concerns could be heard in a public forum."

Gwen fell back. "Wow," she said impressed.

"I think her mother was very brave," Anna added quickly, putting an arm proudly around Sarah's shoulder for moral support.

Sarah looked up and smiled. "Me too!"

Gwen looked over at Anna and grinned. "I wonder if Muggles can become Guardians too."

There was a quick rap at the cabin door, and they could see a pretty girl with dark, long-braided hair waving at them. Anna motioned her to come in and Tanya Joe Wangstaff quickly stepped inside.

"Hey — y'all, mind some comp'ny?" She looked a little frantic.

"Hey, TJ. No — it's okay… the more Guardians, the better. How was your summer?"

"Sal-right — was good see'n the folks again." She hurriedly closed the door to just a crack to peek out and, without looking back at them, she said, "You?"

"Great," Anna replied, motioning to an open seat next to her.

Gwen frowned. "What are you up to?"

"Cookin' on the front burner t'day," the girl replied with an evil grin. She then quickly closed the door and lifted to peak out its porthole into the hallway outside.

"You hiding from somebody?" Gwen asked her suspiciously. They watched TJ duck down as a set of approaching steps thundered past their door.

"Shhh! Little miss nasty-pants is on the warpath again," she whispered, putting a finger to her lips to silence them.

"Who is it?" Sarah whispered.

TJ looked back at them and scowled. "Dunning!"

The three girls at the table looked at each other and then groaned.

"Debbie Dunning?" Gwen asked her.

"O'course — Debbie Dunning. Who else would I be jawin' about? Oo-wee! She's hotter'n a burnin' stump. Givin' out detentions like they was candy."

"Why — what happened?"

TJ turned and then sat down next to Anna. "Someone lit her up - set 'da bottom of her robes afire when she wasn't lookin'."

"Oh, my God," Sarah said frightfully. "Is she okay?"

"Is she okay?" Gwen scoffed back angrily. "The better question would be — is she crispy yet? Everyone hates that girl."

TJ giggled. "That explains the herd of seventh-year boys I saw hidin' all the water. I tell ya — lotta folks out there were prayin' for a fannin' wind — that's fer sure. Ol' double-D was screamin' her fool head off. Sake's alive — she's got mouth enough for ten row of teeth."

They all laughed.

"So who was it that set her on fire?" Anna asked her in a low voice. TJ smiled coyly and Anna immediately took the hint. "You!?"

"No way," Gwen said disbelievingly, staring over at TJ with renewed respect growing by the second. The girl said nothing, which told the rest all they needed to know.

"Oh — my God! Way to go Texas!" Gwen sang out happily, punching TJ in the shoulder.

Anna was already giving TJ a high-five.

"But what if Debbie finds out it was you? She could get you expelled," Sarah added worriedly.

"_Pwah_… that girl couldn't fin'er own butt with a flashlight in each hand!"

Once again, the cabin was filled with raucous laughter.

THREE

Soon the great ship was exiting the green fog of Neptune's Veil and splashing down to the happy applause of all its passengers. After bouncing down the gangway and piling into an empty cable car, the three girls were soon winding their way up the forest covered mountain slopes and heading for the plateau.

After clearing the final mountain, the car finally dipped into the fog-incased valley where they knew the wizard city of Spellsburg was hidden. Moments later, the immense plateau fell into view, and they all gasped in surprise at the newly completed Guardian Hall set before them. The stone of the walls looked new and polished to a perfect and dazing white against the warm sun. Purple Guardian flags waved merrily in the brisk wind between the merlons and embrasures. Anna looked at Gwen and Sarah, and the three of them smiled triumphantly at seeing their new home.

A short time later, the girls were walking through the streets of Spellsburg and basking in the warm reception given to them by the city's residents. The weather was bright and clear, and the sun shone a dazzling blue on the cobbled stones winding their way lazily from the tram station and up the steep hill toward the castle. Gwen and Sarah stopped to look at the robes within the Wompum Emporium as Anna continued up the street alone. She finally stepped into Ms. Rigger's Sporting Goods to check out the latest flying doors.

The bell tinkled as Anna strolled in wide eyed and looking at the vast array of Quidditch and Slalom supplies, including the latest international standards for doors and brooms. Anna gazed in wonder at the placard below a door christened the _Neptune Ott-Six_, which was hovering above its display stand surrounded by a fence-like set of bumpers. Anna set a single finger upon the surface of the door and immediately felt it vibrate under her touch. She could tell the door was feather light and would be about as nimble and quick as a hummingbird under its rider's feet. Anna smiled and then immediately tilted her head down to look at the underside. She was surprised at how similar the surface of the wood looked compared to what Mr. Porchdow had recently constructed for her. It was smooth and seemed to sparkle from the hidden magic mixed with its fine array of varnished resins and lacquers. And then something caught her eye on the underside that made her grin. She could see two channels that tapered gently into the smooth wood from the tip to the back and two small but very distinct set of fins protruding from the channels nearest the tail. Anna straightened to read from the framed placard.

_The Neptune Ott-Six international standard flying door represents the very best from the __Valerio__ family, the same artisan and searcher wizards that brought you Neptune models three and four. The Ott-Six brings into play the very best in quality, precision handling and speed. Selected by this year's international Swift Slalom teams in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, the Ott-Six is made from the finest hardwoods and potioned lacquers, resulting in the highest quality for those who know their racing doors. Zero to 120 miles an hour in four-point-seven seconds flat, this door has been safely tested to five Gs at full speed and a high-banked radius of fifty-two feet, almost halving all previous models to date. The stamp-down air braking system stops the door consistently in forty-two feet, without the typical vapor trails or sparks seen with other competitive models. But the newest innovation for the Ott-Six is called the pinna. It is believed these two fin-like protrusions on the bottom of the door are what give this model its precision turns, even at high Gs, by virtually eliminating both high speed yaw and side-skate through the air. According to a __Valerio company__ spokesperson, 'The Neptune Ott-Six is the finest racing door ever created by sorcery, and represents a full five years of testing and developmental improvements. We look forward to seeing these doors sweeping all the metals in this year's international slalom competition.'_

"Holy…smoke…" Anna whistled enviously. She ducked down again and smiled as she ran a finger along one of the protruding fins. "Pinnas, huh? And Samuel said he didn't think it would help," she boasted satisfactorily, thinking about the new door he had built to her specifications.

And then, without warning, Anna's senses were sent razor sharp, forced acute in the most aggressive and provocative way. Looking around warily, she could feel something familiar that hadn't touched her mind in almost a year at Castlewood. Somebody was watching her. But it wasn't the ally as she had initially hoped. She could hear the faintest heartbeat coming through the wall on the other side of the store. She carefully looked around, searching for a pair of eyes that might be watching from some unseen window or crack. She couldn't pinpoint their exact location.

She turned and leisurely headed for the door, which chimed lightly again as she entered the sidewalk outside. She immediately turned right and jogged a couple of steps to the end of the building and then turned into a narrowed alleyway. She glared knowingly down the street and at the stack of wooden crates piled against the walls both left and right.

"Hello? Is there anybody there?" Anna called out cautiously, looking back only to insure she had a clear path of escape behind her. She stepped into the alley; her sharpened attention focused on the many hiding places before her. There were too many to guarantee her safety.

"I know you were watching me… what do you want?" she said, stepping forward to peak around some of the crates. There was a sound of something small breaking, and then the patting of tiny rodent feet scampering to get away. And then, from out of the shadows, there came a soft and wheezing voice that seemed to ooze from out of the darkness.

"Do not fear me, Guardian."

Anna froze, looking carefully into the gloom and then back again to the safety of the street behind her. Her mind reached out, seeking the ally's familiar presence she so desperately wanted to believe was close at hand. She wasn't there. Whoever was speaking to her now was not Leola Grayson. This person was very much alive; she could hear his heart beating with a quickened rhythm of excitement.

"Who is it?" Anna challenged the gloom. "What do you want?"

She waited for what seemed like an eternity before the voice spoke again.

"I have a message for you," said the stranger. "I bring love and good tidings… from your mother."

FOUR

Anna's heart almost stopped as the words from the stranger sent her mind reeling. And then, realizing she might have waited too long to reply, she immediately stepped forward again.

"Do not come any closer, young one. I am… not well," said the strange voice. His words were almost cut short by the rasp-filled thud of a cough. The voice of what seemed to Anna to be that of a very old man tried to clear itself of whatever disease might be hampering it before weakly continuing. "I have been cursed, child. It would be better for you if you did not see my face in its current state and light. It would be…"

"Did you say something about my mother?" Anna interrupted rudely. The man's breath was ragged and deeply hindered, but Anna could hear his heart was strong.

"Yes," he continued, "I bring word from your mother, Victoria Grayson."

Anna stepped forward quickly again, and from the corner of her eye she saw something move back.

"Stop!" the stranger protested. A sore stab of pain seemed to embrace his warning. Anna could now see something against the stone of the wall behind a stack of crates in front of her. She could just see the reflection of a man leaning in from the panes of dirty, mullion glass of the adjoining shop.

"Please," the man pleaded, "I beg you; do not to come any nearer. It would be unhealthy for you to see me directly. The magic of my curse is very old, but the pain of it is passed to those who would gaze upon my face."

Anna shuddered. "Who has done this foul thing to you, sir," Anna asked, leaning away from the wall to see the man's reflection better. She could hear his sickly, rattled breath as he moved forward again, and she could now see the head of a hooded man. Anna gasped at the profiled face coming into view in the glass. His hair was a long, matted and gray, his face bone white, and he had what looked like a blindfold covering his eyes. "What happened to your eyes?" Anna asked him quickly. The man let out a whispered shriek of surprise and then fell out of sight again.

"Do not look upon me, I say. I am unclean. For your own safety, I beg you, let me deliver your mother's message and then leave before you are infected with the Dark Lord's curse as well."

Once again, Anna's heart was ceased in fright. She was immediately torn between finding out more about Voldemort and the message the man had come to deliver from her mother. She immediately knew which she wanted more. "Where is my mother? Is she safe? Have you seen her?"

There was another rattled heave, and then, "She is a prisoner of the Dark Lord," he said, sorrowfully. "In his evil clutches… she is captive."

Anna almost fell back. "No!" she whispered.

The voice continued. "But Victoria is strong and, using her power of the night, she was able to set me free."

Anna's heart lifted. "But if she freed you… why can't she free herself?"

"She soon will," the voice replied, "and using her vampiric gifts, she will quickly go into hiding. But _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-__Named_ has a servant that shares Victoria's mind. This other is very powerful and it has taken all of Victoria's strength to hold the evil one back before she can give her plan of escape away entirely."

"You said my mother had a message?" Anna asked pleadingly. "She wanted to tell me something?"

Anna could hear the man's breathing fail him and he coughed again before regaining his strength to speak.

"Yes…" said the nearly choked voice. "Victoria wanted you to know there is a plot to destroy you while you are here at Castlewood. _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ knows of your existence and the power you used to set Victoria free from Drogo Prison."

Anna's eyes widened. "He knows… about me?" The horrified thought of it made her tremble.

"Yes, he knows, child. Your mother was hard-pressed to explain her escape without the Dark Lord's help. But the other one sharing her body was more than willing to give him the information about you. He knows… what you are." The tone of the man's voice was foreboding. She heard him take another rattled breath and then, quite clearly, he said, "Victoria is coming to Spellsburg."

The weight of these words suddenly made Anna's knees buckle. "No!" she said without thinking. "She can't come here, she wouldn't!"

"She would… to protect her child from the Dark Lord's evil plan, she most certainly will."

"But if she comes back to Spellsburg, she'll be caught and sent back to Drogo. Or worse… they might kill her!" Anna was beginning to panic.

"Victoria Grayson understands the risks to herself, but she will not allow this plot to destroy her only child. She wanted me to tell you… she will be watching those sent to harm you."

"She can't come here."

Anna looked up in surprise; there were new voices invading the alleyway somewhere behind the stranger.

"I must go!"

"No, wait! You must tell me more about his plot and how I can contact my mother if she comes here."

"I have delivered my message and all I know, child. All but one…"

"Yes?" Anna replied hopefully.

"Your mother said…" his breathing thumped again. "… she loves you."

A burning eruption of emotion suddenly filled Anna's chest. She found it hard to swallow and speak, as the approaching voices came closer.

"Farewell, Guardian…" came the hidden voice again, "I have repaid your mother's kindness to me by delivering her message. Now… I must go."

"No, wait! Please… I need to know more." Throwing her remaining caution aside, Anna came forward and around the boxes hiding the man and ran head long into three boys who had come into the alleyway from the opposite direction.

"OOF!"

The collision knocked Anna to the ground.

"Oops… sorry about that," said one of the boys, reaching down to help Anna to her feet again. Scrambling up, Anna wheeled about to look again for the hidden stranger, but nobody was there. Disappointed, she slowly turned away.

"Anna?"

Anna did a double take at the boy standing beside her and recognized him immediately.

"Oh — hello, Stephan, sorry… I… didn't see you coming." Stephan Durkin, Gwen's boyfriend from the year before, was staring back at her. Anna looked around again.

"Did you… see anybody passing you going the other way in the alley?"

The boy looked at his two Defender friends, who shrugged.

"No… we didn't see anybody," Stephan replied. "Was somebody bothering you?"

"No — no, I thought the man might have needed some help, that's all," she lied convincingly.

"Hey… there you are," a voice called from the top of the alley and Anna turned to find Gwen and Sarah approaching her. Gwen suddenly stopped when she saw the Durkin boy standing next to Anna.

"Oh… hello, Stephan," she said in a rather callous tone of voice. "How are you?"

"I'm… ah… okay," the boy replied somewhat nervously. "You have a good summer?"

Anna could see Gwen trying to force a polite smile. "It was fine… you?"

"Fine… fine. Well…" he turned to Anna again. "It was nice seeing you all again. I'll… ah… see you around." He turned to walk away and then quickly jogged forward to catch up to his two friends.

Anna turned to Gwen. "Well… that was a bit icy for two lovebirds, wasn't it?" she said, surprised.

"Old news," Gwen replied with a bored expression. "We broke up over the summer."

"Oh…? Why's that?"

Gwen leaned in. "Well… there was this new boy that I met in London over the holiday. Oh… I wish you could have met him, Anna. He's tall, very handsome of course, and he's…"

"Are you telling me you dumped Stephan for another boy you met over the summer?"

Gwen looked somewhat embarrassed. "Well, first of all… you know how it is with long distance relationships… they never seem to work out."

Anna smiled. "You were only apart for two months!"

"But you didn't meet Paul. Oh… he was so cute. He's a fifth year at Hogwarts.

"And how did Stephan take the news? He must have been hurt."

"Well… yeah, he was a little, I suppose. I guess that explains the cold reception, ay?"

Anna lifted an eyebrow. "You think?"

Gwen shrugged. "Come on… I don't want to talk about old boyfriends. It's cold in this alley. Let's get out of here." Anna looked carefully around again and then followed her friends back to the street.

As the three girls headed up the cobbled way, Anna tried to recount everything that had just happened in the alleyway. But before she could tell them about the old man, a familiar voice rang out.

"Anna!"

She turned to find her brother jogging toward them.

"Eric!"

Soon brother and sister were hugging in the center of the street.

"I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but it's great seeing you again," Anna said, stepping back to look at her brother properly. "What's this?" she said, rubbing the stubble of unshaven whiskers lying neatly groomed under her brother's chin. "Don't tell me you're growing a beard?"

Eric smiled. "I thought I'd try and look a bit more distinguished this year." He turned his head to show his profile. "So what do you think?"

Anna frowned. "I don't like it. It makes you look older."

"Exactly what I was going for, thank you."

"But why would you want to look older?"

Eric gave her a stealthy look. "Now that's a little secret I'll be keeping as a surprise for later."

Anna frowned suspiciously at her brother. "Well I think I prefer the cute, baby-face you left back at home."

"Hold on," Gwen interrupted. "I think it looks positively dreamy."

Eric smiled and then straightened, setting his fists into his hips as he stuck out his chin. "You really think so?"

"Uh-huh," Gwen moaned.

"Well then… just for that, I'm going to hug you too." And Eric reached down and wrapped his arms around Anna's best friend. Anna watched amusedly as Gwen winked at Anna over Eric's shoulder and melted into her brother's arms, rolling up her eyes and dropping her jaw in imitated ecstasy.

"All right — all right, that's enough…" Anna said, pushing the two apart. "If you're not careful, Eric, she'll pass out on you and I'll have to carry her up to the castle."

Eric grinned as he turned to Sarah Bell. "Hello, Sarah," he said, reaching out to shake the girl's hand. "It's good to see you again. You ready for another year at Castlewood?"

"Oh, yes — absolutely!" Sarah quipped, moving her skis to her other shoulder.

Eric frowned at the long bag she was carrying. "What's in the package?"

Gwen rolled her eyes as she looped her arm into Eric's and turned them toward the castle.

"Don't ask… you wouldn't believe it if she told you."

79


	9. Chapter 07 - Guardian Hall

Chapter 07D15

Chapter 7 (draft 15)

Guardian Hall

ONE

As Eric escorted the girls up the winding road toward the castle, a Crimson Guard suddenly appeared from an adjoining ally.

"Halt citizen." Eric immediately noticed the small badge pined upon his Crimson breast. It had the letter 'D' embossed upon it. "I need to see your identification, please," said the guard stiffly.

Eric glanced over to Anna, but did not argue or question the order. He immediately withdrew a folded piece of parchment from the pocket of his robes.

"And yours?" the guard said, pointing at Anna.

"They're students. This lot doesn't have their papers yet because they've only just arrived," Eric explained.

The guard looked at the group skeptically and then down at Eric's papers again. He began to wave his wand over the top of the parchment.

"You can vouch for all of them, Mr. Grayson?" asked the guard without bothering to look up.

"Yes, I can."

"Have you been with them since they disembarked from the ship?"

"Most of the time, yes."

The guard stared at the three girls and then pointed his wand down into the paper. _"Stigma-Noxius!"_ A silvery 'X' lit the page and then flew off in a circle around the group before landing upon Eric's chest. The guard looked up to force a smile.

"I suppose there will be a number of new students heading toward the castle within the next few minutes?" Eric nodded. "Very well. Sorry to bother you, sir." And with a slight dip, he said, "Have a good day."

"Thank you — and you the same," Eric replied as they watched the guard disappear into the ally again.

Anna looked at Eric and the silver 'X' blazing upon his chest. "Wow," Daddy said the security was going to be tight, but I had no idea…" she reached up to touch the brand, which immediately spit a spark through her finger.

"Ouch! Hey!"

"No — no!" Eric warned, "Don't touch. The security brand is for me only and should last the rest of the day; certainly long enough to get you up to the castle."

Eric led them across the drawbridge and through the heavy portcullis. Anna smiled as she passed through the tunnel leading them through onto the stately grounds. She could hear the voices of magic vibrating excitedly around her from the stones within the walls. Finally, Eric turned to bid them farewell.

"This is where I leave you," he said, leaning in to kiss Anna's forehead.

"Oh? Can't you come to dinner with us in the Rotunda? All of the families will be watching from the ceiling." Anna recalled the previous year when her father's image had been magically projected onto the Rotunda's dome to watch the first-years joined to their union halls.

"I'm afraid not. I have to prepare for my new job starting tomorrow."

Anna looked taken aback. "New job? But you're supposed to be here to continue your studies. What job?

Her brother smiled. "My studies won't take all of my time, Anna. You seem to forget… I came of age almost a year ago. I have to find work if I want to continue to live in Spellsburg."

"But, surely… daddy is helping you…"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Our father would help me… of course, if I let him, but being an adult also means making my own way in the world."

"I think you're taking a very admirable attitude, Eric," Gwen said satisfactory. Anna looked appalled at her friend. "Hey… Gabby and Widwick won't be around to wash your clothes forever, you know. The man's gonna to have to fix his own soup sometime." She looked at Eric and smiled. "At least, that is, until some young maiden decides to do it for him." Eric grinned.

Anna scowled at Gwen. "Let's see if you feel the same way when you turn seventeen."

Her friend giggled. "Huh… by then, I will have completely changed my opinion on the matter entirely. By the way," she said, turning to Eric again, "where exactly are you staying in the city?"

"I've taken lodging over at _The Blotter_. I'll have a clear view of the new Guardian Hall to the south."

Now Gwen looked appalled. "You mean that three-story dump of a hotel off of Leth Alley?"

"Oh… it isn't all that bad," Eric chuckled, "and the rent is very reasonable."

"Leth Alley?" Anna interrupted, looking back at Gwen.

"It's a really scary part of town. Most of the students wouldn't be caught dead in there. Very rough back in those dark alleys," she finished warningly. "I take back what I said before," Gwen said warningly, glancing back over her shoulder at Eric, "Anna… you ought to report this to your father right away."

"You will not!" Eric said laughing. He could see Anna looking fearfully at him. "Now — now… it's not all that bad… really. With some curtains and a wand to the floor, I'll have it shipshape in no time." Anna and Gwen still looked skeptical.

"Anyway — I'm off," he said, taking Anna's hand in his. "And I'll see you tomorrow morning, little sister."

"You will?" Anna replied in surprise. "How's that?"

Eric smiled and then shook his head. "You'll see… it'll be my little surprise for you." He kissed her again. "Have a good dinner. I'll expect to hear about all the new Guardians tomorrow." He shook Sarah Bell's hand and then turned to glare at Gwen. "Trouble-maker!" he whispered, before quickly turning to head off.

As Anna watched Eric go, she couldn't help but to feel Castlewood would be a completely different place without her brother by her side. She glanced over to find Gwen looking like a little girl who had just had her favorite toy taken away from her. Anna could tell she felt the same way about her brother.

Soon the first-years were separated from the rest and hurriedly led away by a rather gruff looking Crimson Guard, while the rest of the students proceeded to the Rotunda and their dinner. As Anna, Sarah, and Gwen entered the Great Rotunda, they immediately found their purple-draped table and the rest of their Guardian Hall waiting for them

"There they are," said TJ, rising to give them all a friendly wave. "Over here, y'all," she said in her jovial, Texas-twang, pointing to a set of empty seats next to her.

Anna said hello to everybody while taking inventory of their number as she sat. There were still nearly fifty of them in all given the fact there were so few seventh-years reentering the Mirror of Enlightenment the previous year.

"So how was your holiday?" TJ and Janet Wardrop asked simultaneously. The two girls immediately looked at each other in horror and in a rushed to pull out their wands.

"_JINX!"_ - "_JINX!"_ They said nearly in chorus.

Red ribbons suddenly flew from their wands with a crack and began to fly about the room. Several other students stopped their conversations and watched in amusement as the ribbons turned to fly back to their owners. One of the ribbons hit TJ directly in the face and sent her flying backwards over her chair while the other froze in the form of a bloody claw, reaching longingly for Janet's mouth. The entire Rotunda burst into riotous howls of laughter. Janet was leaning back against her chair in anticipation of the red hand's attack and then peered up to see it still frozen in mid air staining to get to her. She raised her wand again.

"_Finite__ Chirotha!" _he whispered fearfully and the hand immediately fizzled in a puff of red smoke.

Anna jumped to her feet. "What the hell did you do!" She looked down to see TJ struggling to get to her feet, with a red hand clasped tight across her mouth. Anna reached down to help her friend up and found TJ pointing at the thing attached to her face. She was looking at Anna pleadingly.

"What the hell is that thing?" Anna said, looking back to find her fellow Guardians laughing hysterically. TJ grabbed Anna's shoulders and pulled her around to look at her. She started pointing at the thing on her face.

"TJ… what should I…" Anna began to say, when suddenly there was another crack and the hand was gone. TJ wheezed and started to cough.

"Ah, you shouldn't have said her name," Janet said amusingly. Now we'll have to listen to that twang all through dinner.

TJ looked up at Anna. "Thanks for that, it was gettin' hard to breathe."

"What happened to you?"

"It was the jinx curse," Gwen explained. "It's been attached to the entire castle since the end of last term. Nobody knows who did it." Anna helped TJ back to her chair as Gwen continued. "Some think it was one of the seventh years after graduation, but I don't think so."

"Neither do I," said Janet. "I believe it was a teacher."

Anna looked skeptical. "A teacher? Why would a teacher put a curse on the entire castle?"

"Who knows, but you don't see the Chancellor or anybody else trying to remove it, do you? It's the only thing that makes sense."

"I don't understand. Were the two of you forced to attack each other?"

TJ rolled her eyes. "Nah… if you're caught sayin' the same thang as somebody else, you have to say JINX, else you end up in-da' moat outside."

"So what was that claw-thing that attacked you?"

"Punishment for bein' too slow on the draw. Once the thang grabs ya, you can't get away 'til someone says yer name."

Within minutes, the Guardian's happy reunion was cut short as Chancellor Thordarson stood in his observation box and motioned the students for their attention. He was dressed in splendid ropes of deepest black and silver trim, and sporting his usual dark sunglasses that always made him look like a bandit.

"The beginning of a new year," he said joyfully. "It is so very good to see you all back again, safe and sound, with eager minds ready to learn. I have a few announcements to make, but… not to worry… I will be brief."

He paused to take what seemed to Anna a very deep and reluctant breath. "There has been quite a bit of news out of the Old Country regarding the return of Lord Voldemort." There was an auditable gasp at the name from the crowd of students. "I myself made this announcement before your departure in June, sharing to my best of ability, this dreadful news. Although there does seem to be a reluctance on the part of the Ministry — and yes — maybe some of your own parents, to believe _he_ has returned, I stand by my statements of two months ago, and that of several other learned wizards much greater than I, that he has indeed come back."

To Anna's great surprise, there was an audible growl of growing decent and shaking of heads among the students, which the Chancellor seemed to ignore.

Gwen leaned into Anna. "Learned wizards? Who the heck is more learned than Thordarson?"

Anna looked at Gwen and then at several others looking over at them. "Dumbledore," Anna replied cautiously.

The chancellor continued. "While the Ministry and your parents read and debate what is being said, they are still depending on us here at the Academy to carry on with your studies, and that is precisely what we intend to do." Finally there seemed to be some acknowledged agreement within the Rotunda.

"There will, however, be heightened security both inside the grounds and in the city of Spellsburg, which — I am sure, many of you have already witnessed first hand while in route to the castle. Although this additional security is not in direct response to Lord Voldemort's return — I for one am extremely pleased with its deterring effects to anything outside the norm. You will do well not to leave the castle until you have been given your security papers, which should be forthcoming within the next two days."

He gazed worriedly up at them, turning his head left to the right and then all the way into the back. "I beg you; do not risk yourself to the unknown. Stay vigilant and alert to anything suspicious, and report anything that seems out of place to my staff or a member of the Crimson Guard.

Finally, he glanced behind him as Professor Titan leaned in to whisper something into his ear.

"Oh, yes… I almost forgot." He turned his attention back to the students. "I am also very pleased to announce the addition of a new member of staff here at Castlewood, who will be teaching highly specialized classes to our new Guardian Union."

Anna and the rest of the Guardians looked up, straining their necks to see.

"It gives me great pleasure to present Professor Bartholomaeus Qwaad, formally of the Ministry of Magic."

A tall and stern looking man with broad shoulders stood to acknowledge the smattering of light applause within the room. The man quickly nodded and then took his seat once again.

"Professor Qwaad will be teaching Care of Magical Objects, The Study of Magical Places, and Auror Defensive Skills, Level One." There was a sharp gasp of gleeful surprise from the Guardian table.

"Auror Defense Training?" said the fourth-year Guardian named John Gryskiewicz. "Outstanding!" There were several excited nods from the others at the table.

"Oh my…" Gwen moaned worriedly. "My mother is going to freak when she hears about this." She looked at Anna and Sarah. "She only barely tolerates my decision to join the Guardians anyway. When she hears about this…"

"But you didn't join the Guardians, you were selected," Sarah reminded her.

"Yeah? Try telling that to my father," Gwen growled back. "He still believes all this Guardians stuff was my crackpot idea just to worry my mother to death. Anna? What's the matter?" She noticed Anna looking very worried.

"Barthel Qwaad?" Anna moaned out loud.

"Barthel?" Gwen said, looking back at the new teacher. "I thought his name was Barf-a-loud, or something like that."

Anna looked at her. "It is… but they call him Barthel for short. He used to work in the Hall of Wonders at the Ministry."

"The Hall of Wonders…" TJ said, astonished. You've been inside da' _HOW_?"

"Yeah…" Anna unthinkingly, not noticing the stunned faces all around her, "I had an appointment to see the Minister and I saw Qwaad there. He was working as a special secretary to the Minister."

"Hold on," and a sixth-year girl from across the table. "You met with the Minister of Magic?"

Anna could see the whole table now looking wide-eyed at her. She was suddenly embarrassed. "Oh… yeah, I did. The Minister is… well… she's kind of like… a relative."

"The Minister of Magic is one of your relatives?"

"Her aunt, actually," Gwen added, amused by all the startled faces now staring at them. "Yeah… Minister Barkelnap is Anna's grandmother's sister. I guess I forgot to tell you," she finished with a chuckle.

Everybody remained speechless.

"Yeah… well… never mind that," Anna hastened to add, leaning in. "Listen… the Minister and I had kind of a fight when she threatened to assign somebody from her office to watch over the Guardians."

"Watch over us?" said one of the boys, "What the heck does that mean?"

Anna looked back up at Qwaad sitting at the front. She could see he was staring directly at her, as if listening to her every word. "The Ministry has threatened to expel me or any body else from Castlewood for repeating what the Chancellor just told us. If we tell anybody _You-Know-Who_ is back, the Minister's spies will report us and we'll be sent home."

Once again her fellow Guardians looked stunned.

"And you're believin' this Qwaad-person, the new teacher, is the Minister's rat?" TJ asked her worriedly.

Anna looked up at the man again. He was still staring at her. "I'm almost sure of it."

After a very long pause, a fifth-year John Baird spoke. "Well… I, for one, don't have a problem at all with this."

Everybody turned to look at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gwen retorted angrily.

"It means… I don't have a problem keeping my mouth shut about _You-Know-Who's_ return. In fact… it would seem a fair trade to get Auror training… just for keeping quiet."

Gwen was suddenly incensed. "You're not serious? Can't you see this guy Qwaad is going to make trouble for us? Are you so blind you can't see that?"

"No — I don't see it that way at all," the boy countered. "Listen — we'll only get into trouble if we're caught running around saying _You-Know-Who_ is back, yeah? Well… I'm not planning on saying that because…" he paused for a moment, looking around at the rest, "because I don't believe it."

Anna was stunned. "You don't believe Thordarson? You don't believe Dumbledore? The greatest wizards of our time… you don't believe them?"

"No… I don't," the boy replied flatly. "And I'm not the only one. Haven't you heard…? He leaned in cautiously. "Dumbledore has been thrown out of the Wizarding _gamot_. Nobody believes him."

"Thordarson does!" Anna snapped back.

"Yeah… well… obviously that doesn't count for very much these days, does it? I heard my father telling my mom that the Minister asked for Thordarson's resignation from his post as Chancellor."

"His resignation? You're not serious?" said another girl sitting next to him.

"Of course I'm serious," the boy said smugly. "Thordarson refused, of course, and apparently the school's _Board of Governors _had to put it to a vote. He barely squeaked by on a seven-to-five opinion to keep him on this year. Thordarson's support of Dumbledore and his bogus claims of _You-Know-Who's_ return almost got him sacked."

"They're _not_ bogus claims," Anna yelped. "There was a witness to his rising again."

"What…? You mean that crackpot kid out at Hogwarts, Harry Potter? You've got to be joking? Haven't you been reading the papers? Potter is a loon; everybody knows that. His brains were all scrambled up by that curse that hit him when he was a baby."

"He is not a loon!" Anna said, jumping to her feet.

The other boy looked surprised by Anna's sudden outburst, but smiled anyway. "Look… the fact is… Harry Potter is the only one who actually saw _You-Know-Who_ rising from the dead. And for some stupid reason that nobody really understands, Dumbledore believes Potter, and Thordarson believes Dumbledore… and now you believe Thordarson. But it all comes back to Potter, doesn't it, and whether or not you believe his story? And I — just don't."

"I don't believe it just because Thordarson believes it. I know myself that it's true," Anna countered angrily.

The other boy looked surprised. "Is that right? Care to fill the rest of us in, then? What proof do you have that he's returned. Did you see him the day after you met with the Minister of Magic or something?"

Anna stood there fuming. She had lived through so much recently, breaking into Drogo, finding Victoria Grayson possessed by mental illness because of Voldemort's cruel torture to get to her father, finding her mother… a vampire. And now she was being challenged by this idiot boy; it was unbearable to her, but she couldn't tell them about her mother. Finally, Gwen stood beside her and whispered into her ear.

"Anna… I understand what you're thinking right now. You don't have to tell them anything. It isn't worth it — and it wouldn't convince him anyway. Come on… please… sit down."

Anna finally sat, still staring angrily at the boy across the table.

"What? Nothing to say? No proof?" boy sneered back skeptically.

"Shut up, John. You don't know what you're talking about," Gwen yelped sharply, leaning in to sooth Anna's rage.

"Oh — come on, I'm not the only one who believes Dumbledore is off his rocker." He looked around the table. "Listen… I say we take advantage of the things the Ministry is offering in these special classes with Qwaad. All we have to do…"

"Is sell your soul!" Anna blistered back.

"…is keep… your mouth… shut!" he retorted angrily.

"It's not going to work," Anna said sarcastically. "Do you really believe Qwaad is going to let you train to be an Auror? Do you think the special secretary to the Minister is going to help us and stop the Ministry from abusing the magical objects and places around us? Do you really think they're interested in helping you do that?"

"I only know what I see, Anna. And I see the Ministry offering some pretty cool classes, far better than what we could have hoped for in our old Unions."

"Rubbish!" Anna barked, falling back angrily into her chair. "You don't know. You weren't there to hear the Minister's exact words… the tone in her voice. She wasn't interested in helping us; she wants to control us."

"Well — it all comes back to the same thing, doesn't it?" the boy said with a note of finality in his voice. "It all comes down to whether or not you believe _You-Know-Who_ is back. Give a show of hands: who here at this table believes _He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named_ has risen from the dead?"

Gwen and Sarah's hands shot up. Anna waited. Finally, TJ's hand slowly lifted her hand as well and then, and to everyone's great surprise, so did the Guardian Knight Gabriel Laroche. Anna waited again, her eyes scanning the faces surrounding her at the Guardian table. She could see it in their eyes; their skeptical stares suddenly looking uncomfortable.

John was counting around the table mockingly. "Let's see… that's about five-to-thirty nine. Well… whaddaya know about that? The motion is soundly defeated. It looks like Y_ou-Know-Who_ isn't as alive as we were lead to believe," he finished sardonically.

Anna leapt to her feet again. "The truth isn't up to popular opinion or some stupid, idiotic vote. He's back! I know he's back. Why do you think the Guardians were brought back last year? Do you think this was all just a coincidence, an interesting but unconnected mistake? Do you think we're here by accident?"

Anna was fuming, her breathing short. "I'm finished arguing with you about this. I'm done trying to convince you of the truth. Time is on our side. _He_ will eventually show himself again — and when he does — I can only hope you'll be ready to do your job and protect the innocent in the battle to come, because — it's going to be bloody!" She banged her fist on the tabletop. "There's going to be killings again. These very halls will be attacked! And it's going to be your job to stop it! And if you can't accept that, then you don't deserve to be in this Union. You don't deserve to be a Guardian! So go ahead — all of you — stick your heads in the sand! Try to ignore it all you want — but I'm telling you — HE'S BACK! VOLDEMORT IS BACK!"

Anna's words echoed into the domed ceiling around them as she stood resolute, breathing heavy. It took a full ten seconds to finally realize how quiet the Rotunda had gone all around her.

"Anna…?" came a soft voice next to her, "You'd better sit down." It was Gwen. She was tugging on Anna's robes, trying to pull her down into her seat.

"I will not! Not until they understand. Not until they all hear me!"

"Anna… I think everybody heard you." Anna looked up, still breathing hard. She could see everybody in the Rotunda was now staring at her. Anna flushed. She could see them all shaking their heads in troubled disbelief. It was the same look shared by her so-called Guardian allies. Nobody believed her. She wanted to scream at them. _Don't they understand? Can't they see Voldemort was back? How could they all be so stupid?_ She wanted to yell at the top of her voice, but the painful growl of a spent voice behind her kept her from raging on.

"Guardian… you will come with me."

Anna turned to find Professor Van Doorn standing beside her. The black veil that covered her face scarcely moved as she spoke.

Anna was still gasping hard, almost snarling in reply. "They have to know the truth. They have to be made to understand. I have to…" her voice was climbing again as she turned to look at the students in the Rotunda once more.

Suddenly, a gloved hand shot forward from out of the black cloak to grab her like a vise on the shoulder, and the spider-like woman jerked her backward into her clutches.

"No… you've said enough for one night, little one. Your screeching is at an end. You will come with me."

Anna looked back at the woman and couldn't help being forcibly turned by her steady and building grip. Anna looked up at Thordarson, who suddenly looked very old and deeply concerned. She could see him nodding for her to obey. Anna fell back into the spider's steady grip without a fight and was escorted along the wall and through a door to an adjoining room. Inside, she found several empty chairs sitting around a table beside a warm fire.

"Sit!" the woman behind her hissed.

Anna was still too angry. She turned to glare back at the woman in black.

"I said — SIT DOWN!" the woman snarled again. An overt threat of retaliation was well placed within her graveled voice as a howl from outside underscored her order.

"Fine!" Anna scoffed, throwing herself into the nearest chair by the fire. Perhaps, she thought, the flames might keep the woman away from her.

"What do you mean by disrupting our meal?"

Anna sat there, lost for words, her mind buzzing with resentment. _Who the hell cares about food now? How can they all act as if everything was just normal?_ Van Doorn's question was absurd and Anna wouldn't have bothered to respond at all had the veiled woman not insisted.

"ANSWER ME!"

Anna jumped. "I… I'm sorry. I was angry… and I guess I lost my temper."

Van Doorn's breathing seemed to stop for too long a time before her familiar and rattled moan issued forth again. Even with her face covered, Anna could tell she was very angry.

"You bring too much attention to yourself, Guardian. It is most unbecoming in one with good breeding… and unacceptable in children. You have much to learn when it comes to subtle persuasion."

"I wasn't trying to be subtle. I was trying to get their attention."

"And you think it best to gather their attention by screaming at them while at dinner?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get them to see the truth. I'll scream at the top of my lungs if…"

"YOU WILL NOT!" The woman yelled back. "Not here at this school — and not under this Chancellor's rule."

Her voice was a dog's howl, its painful, ripping sound made its way through Anna's skull to stab at her brain.

"Unwarranted shrieking is not the proper way in which to deliver the _truth_, little one. And if you insist upon doing it again, you'll spend the next week locked in the owlry with the other animals that brainlessly howl and screech, but for no other reason than to hear themselves rage."

Anna suddenly looked at Van Doorn in a new light. _Truth; she said 'truth'._ "You know I'm right… don't you? You believe me… you know he's back."

Van Doorn seemed to grow a foot taller as she approached her.

"No… I do not believe _you_, Anna Grayson."

"Then what did you mean when you said…"

"I don't have to believe you, because I don't need you to know the Dark Lord has returned. I don't need any wizard or even his Death Eaters to bend my beliefs to this truth."

Anna frowned curiously. "How…?"

"I need none of these things, because you see… I know the Dark Lord has never really been gone."

Anna frowned again. "Never been… what do you mean?"

"The problem with convincing others of the Dark Lord's return has been made difficult because of idiots like you, trying to spin the truth into a lie with these dim-witted tales of evil wizards rising from the dead. You… are a fool! Nobody can rise from the dead, and trying to convince others of this idiocy is persuasion based on madness."

"But you know he's out there. Harry Potter saw him come back."

"Yes, Grayson, the Dark Lord has been returned to a bodily form — so much the better for those of us who would fight to the death to see him truly destroyed once and for all."

Anna frowned. "How could it be better to have him come back?"

Van Dorm's black, spider-like dress seemed to come alive with her anger. It moved on its own to snatch at the air around Anna's feet. It reminded the Guardian of another creature she had come to know all too well.

"Haven't you been listening to me, child," the woman growled. "Haven't I already told you the Dark Lord wasn't really dead? Can't you see that to destroy him utterly, this had to happen? Now is the time to strike, while what's left of him is contained again within a body we might fight. If this new shell is destroyed, then the thing we call a man will be no more."

"That's not going to work," Anna said bluntly.

If Anna could have seen Van Doorn's eyes through her ebony veil, she would have known they were staring at her in shock. Her voice rattle forth, "What's not going to work, young one?"

"You can't kill Voldemort by destroying..."

"Do not say that name, you stupid fool!"

Anna took a calming breath. "Fine… I won't say his name, but I still say he can't be killed by just simply destroying his body.

Van Doorn seemed taken aback by this statement, and Anna was immediately sorry she said it. Her father had insisted that she never tell anybody about Voldemort's horcruxes. It was Dumbledore's warning and wish it never be repeated.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Van Doorn challenged her. "What is it you think you know, little one?"

"Nothing… I didn't mean to say anything."

Van Doorn studied her. "You have a habit of saying meaningless dribble, but not meaning to say something is not the same as saying you were mistaken." Van Doorn turned and stopped to stare out the rain-swept window. "This castle carries many secrets, Anna Grayson. Its voices call to me in the night. When I first came here to teach the dark arts to its students, I thought the voices were part of the curse that nearly destroyed me many years ago. Now I know different. I now know the truth from those I hear in the darkness." Van Doorn looked over at her. "And I know who they are."

Anna was holding her breath. She too knew about the voices within the castle, the voices of magic surrounding them. Could it be Van Doorn could hear them too?

The woman in black slowly turned to face her again. "I hear your voice among them. I know you speak to those I hear whispering through these corridors and stone walls. Their call is insignificant and mute unless you are here within the castle. I cannot speak to them as you do, but I know you carry their secrets. You know more than most… _Sithmaith_."

Anna looked away. She could feel this powerful woman probing her mind in much the same way as the Minister of Magic. Once again, Anna slammed the door to her mind with a bone jarring bang and she could see the ex-Auror faintly fall back.

"So powerful," she murmured. "So much in one… so small. Very well… you will not betray your loyalties, but I would advise you to tell all you know to Thordarson. He is a very powerful wizard and can do more with your secrets than ever you could hope on your own."

Anna finally stood. "I have already told him all I know. You'll have to trust me on this, but you were right when you accused me of saying too much."

The woman in black turned again and headed for the door. "Detention," she growled in a painful whisper.

"What?"

The woman turned to stare at her without reply.

"I have detention? But… Professor…"

"You see?" Van Doorn interrupted her. "It is not necessary to shout to gather one's attention; a lesson you would do well to learn." She heaved a rattle breath again. "You will serve detention with me this Saturday night in the North Tower as punishment for disturbing the evening's meal in such a callous and rude way." She opened the door and the unmistakable roar of the Mirror of Enlightenment could be heard booming into the adjoining room.

"She belongs to… THE SERVER'S UNION!"

"Eight o'clock in my office," Van Doorn growled through the torrent of applause and yelling.

"Fine." Anna mumbled back. She stood and headed for the door.

As she passed the woman in black, she could hear her whisper, "Your voice is very distinct in the darkest, little one. I… will be listening."

Anna paused for a moment without looking up and then continued out the door. She made her way back to the Guardian table, thankful for the booming screams of delight and clapping for the new first-years being joined to their union halls.

"He belongs to… THE DEFENDER'S UNION!"

Anna sat down between Sarah and Gwen.

"So… what happened?" asked Gwen worriedly.

"Spider-woman gave me detention!"

"Detention…? Before day-one? I didn't know they could do that."

"I'm sorry, Anna," said John. "It was my fault you got into trouble. I shouldn't have said anything."

Anna looked at him. Now that her anger had overflowed, she found herself repentant as well. "No… it was my big mouth that did it. I'm…. sorry everyone… about my outburst, I mean. Mind you, it still doesn't change what I said or what I believe about _You-Know-Who's _return… but… I guess I could have been a little less…." She shrugged.

There was another uncomfortable pause before Gwen finally said, "Anna Grayson being quiet with her opinion? Oh come on… that'll be the day." A few laughed at the table.

"So… any new Guardians yet?" Anna asked, looking down their table.

"Nope… still just us," TJ replied. "I was really hopin' for a gang-load of eggs, but there aren't that many first-years left'ta hope for more'in fifty again.

"Isn't that the girl we saw in the lower passageways on the ship?" Sarah asked them, pointing at the first-year making her way up the steps of the platform. Sure enough, Anna could now see it was the same very rude girl who shoved past them outside their cabin door.

"Oh yeah. little Miss-attitude is getting ready to enter the mirror. She's has to be a Defender for sure," Gwen replied interestedly. "I have no doubt she'll fall into Debbie Dunning's click in no time."

Several students in the Rotunda were pointing at the ceiling above, and the Guardians looked up in surprise as a multitude of faces projected into the domed ceiling over their heads began to rise. At least a hundred individuals were now standing for the girl who was being escorted by Professor Titan to the front of the mirror.

"Wow… quite a fan-base for such a little snot," Gwen smirked. "What do you think? They can't be all family?"

"Can't be," Anna replied, spying curiously up at the crowd who were watching the events within the Rotunda with keen interest. "It looks like a whole town." Anna watched the girl's reaction to the show of support given to her and was surprised when she seemed to scoff angrily at their presence

"What's her problem?" Anna said staring back at Gwen.

"Who knows; she's got some nerve. Sarah here didn't have anybody from her family witnessing her joining, but you didn't see her acting like an ass."

"Enter… and prepare to be Joined," boomed a powerful voice from within the mirror. The girl looked up again at the many faces watching her and then seemed to resign herself to the process. She grabbed up her robes in a huff and quickly stepped through the mirror.

There was a balloon of bellowing smoke spilling out the back of the mirror and the entire Rotunda waited for the mist to take form. But to everybody's surprise, the mist did not coalesce into anything at all. It swirled and looked to finally take a shape, only to fall again into evaporating clouds of white and nothingness over and over again. Finally, the clouds began to melt away, leaving the girl standing alone on the stage.

"She belongs to… THE GUARDIAN UNION!"

Finally, the Guardian table leapt to their feet and began to clap furiously for the newest member of their union.

Anna's jaw dropped and then looked in shock over to Gwen and Sarah.

"No way! She can't be one of us," Gwen yelped loathingly.

"I don't believe it," Anna agreed, watching both those in the ceiling and the rest of the Guardians clapping as the girl came forward to join their table.

Sure enough, the applause at the Guardian table was short-lived as the strange and now angry young girl slapped away the first congratulatory hands offered her at the table. She walked passed them to sit by herself at the farthest end. Looking up, Anna could plainly see the worried concern on the faces of all those who had come to watch the girl's joining.

"Well ain't dat' a fine howdy-do?" TJ said, scathingly. "I've seen happier pusses on frogs used fer bait."

"She acted the same way when we saw her on the ship on the way in," Gwen told the others. "Definitely — a serious attitude problem there."

"What's her name? Did anybody catch her name?" Anna asked, looking around the table again.

"I think it was Unity Yolland," Sarah said concernedly.

"Unity Yolland…" Anna whispered. She looked back up into the ceiling and could see all those who were standing were now seating themselves again. All, that is, except for one man and a woman who stood holding each other and cautiously waving down at the girl now seated away from all the rest of the Guardians. Anna looked at the girl and saw her callously folding her arms in disgust, her eyes glancing scathingly upward toward the two in the ceiling.

The boy seated next to her leaned in. "Unity? Was that your name?" he asked her politely, reaching out to shake her hand. The girl batted his gesture away.

"Nox," she growled back.

"Excuse me?"

"I said my name is Nox," the girl replied angrily. She pulled out her wand and set it next to her plate as she stared back at the boy. "It means 'lights out' for anybody stupid enough to call me Unity."

The girl sitting next to her frowned. "Nox? You really want to be called Nox? But I think Unity is a beautiful name."

The girl suddenly snatched up her wand and, quick as a flash, she stuck its point under the girl's chin. "Call me Unity again and I'll turn your head to stone!"

"First year!" yelled the Guardian Knight Gabriel, "We never draw ours wands in anger while in the Rotunda. Put that away… right now!"

The new girl looked around at the table and all of the Guardians now frowning at her. She looked again at the girl next to her and slowly lowered her arm. She smiled evilly as she reached back to pocket her wand.

"Like I said… it's Nox."

The girl stood and picked up her plate. "Fine! Your given name doesn't suit you anyway." She stood and walked over to the other end of the table to sit.

Just as TJ had predicted, only a few first-years were selected to become Guardians, which swelled their Union ranks to exactly fifty once again. Unlike the first girl, however, the other new Guardians seemed very happy to be among them. One Muggle born girl was from Sarah Bell's home state of Minnesota, and the two seemed to instantly hit it off as they discussed their shared love of skiing.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Great… that's all we need… somebody to give Sarah even more encouragement to break her neck with those stupid sticks on her feet."

In all, there were three new Guardians boys from Arkansas, Texas and Florida, and another girl from California who already had a sister in the Searcher Union. Anna was pleased with the Guardians even though she was disappointed there weren't more of them. To her, all the new faces seemed to lend a sense of permanence to the Guardians at Castlewood.

And then Professor Thordarson was on his feet again and announced to the school that a girl from the Searcher Union, Valentia Olivo, had been selected as the new Student President. Soon afterwards, the Union Knights were announced and once again Damon was given his sword as a Knight for the Defenders, and a seventh-year Guardian named Gabriel Laroche also became a knight.

"Just a few more announcements before we send you off to bed," Thordarson said in his now familiar, jovial manner. "Day-one schedules will be handed out to our new first-years by the knights who will also escort them to their halls. Vollucross and Swift Slalom tryouts have been postponed one week to allow for the time necessary to issue security passes to all our students." He stepped forward on the stage.

"Finally, you may have also noticed our Captain of the Guard has also changed from last year." Several of the students in the hall started murmuring with snickers and unrestrained pleasure at this news.

"Our new Captain of the Guard will be a familiar face to those who have lived within the walls of Castlewood before now. But for those who's holiday reveling has befuddled an otherwise well-rested mind, let us bring him out. The new Castlewood Captain of the Guard is John Hayman." The Chancellor motioned to the side. "John… if you please."

The new Captain of the Guard stepped forward onto the stage and every Crimson Guard within the Rotunda suddenly snapped to attention around them. Hayman shook the Thordarson's hand before stepping back to straighten and then salute the Chancellor. There was warm applause from the crowd as Captain Hayman calmly waved and then quickly left the stage.

"Excellent!" Gwen said merrily. She looked over at Anna. "No more Gregory Dunning to worry about, eh? That means Debbie Dunning has finally been declawed too. That alone should save you at least a dozen detentions this year, Anna." Anna wasn't smiling.

"_Lieutenant_ Dunning is still here," Anna growled back, looking put off.

"Lieutenant Dunning?"

"That's right," Anna answered, "Dunning wasn't sacked; he was demoted. He now works for Captain Hayman, but Dunning is still in charge of the castle." She looked around at the Defender's table searching for Debbie Dunning.

"That means old Double-D will have her claws nice and sharp, just waiting for any of us to step out of line."

"You… you're sure about this, Anna," asked the new Guardian Knight Gabriel Laroche.

"Absolutely sure," Anna scowled back.

"Hmmm… well… while I think all of the students would have welcomed this change in the captaincy, I think it's clear we should try to avoid Debbie Dunning as much as possible," Gabriel observed. "I think her actions last year made it clear Debbie is no friend of the Guardians. I seem to recall us getting more than our fair share of detentions, so keep your heads low around her, all of you. That especially goes for you, Anna." The table turned to look Anna's way.

"Trust me… I'll do everything I can to stay out of her way," Anna replied honestly.

"Yeah… or at least til she gets back in the duelin' hall again, ay?" TJ said with a snort.

As the students headed out to their Halls, the Guardians were especially giddy with excitement. They were looking forward to seeing their newly built Union Hall, which for the first time would be opened to its new residents. As they made their way through the marble tunnels leading to the tower room, the anticipation was steadily building. Soon, they were standing in front of a beautiful purple door with the double dragon crest mounted within their center. Above the doors were the words:

ENTER GUARDIANS – PROTECTORS OF MAGIC.

"Very nice," Gabriel said as she turned to face the group. "I think Anna should go in first." The entie union turned to smile back at her in agreement.

"No… it's all right, go ahead," Anna urged them.

Gabriel rolled her eyes. "You dedicated its first stone; I think you should be the first to cross its threshold."

Anna smiled and then walked toward the Crimson Guard, standing at the door. He snapped straight, turned and waved his wand at the latch, which responded with a soft click. He pulled the doors open and then motioned the Guardians through.

The scene before their eyes was… well… there was no other way to put it other than to say it was disappointing. There were no furnishings, no books or carpets, no fires to warm the immense but completely empty space. Just a vast room with thirty foot arched ceilings high above them. Nowhere were the expected scenes of painted chivalry and heroic deeds Anna loved about the Server Hall. There was no stained glass; just blank windows open to the dark and raining sky outside. The coldness beyond the windows seemed to mirror the feelings inside as the Guardians stared around them in utter disbelief.

Only the new first-year Unity Yolland moved forward. "Lovely," she grumbled reproachfully as she bumped passed them to look around.

Finally, Gabriel was able to gather in her own disappointment enough to speak. Looking back at all of them, she frowned. "Well, what did you expect? A party? Fancy decorations? It's a brand new hall for goodness sake. It's up to us to make it what it's supposed to be."

"But there nothing here," Sarah Bell moaned. "Do you think there are any beds upstairs?"

"Of course there will be beds," Gabriel chided her. She could see the Guardians' disappointment growing. "Look… we can make this space anything we want it to be if we work together. So… who wants to volunteer to do some Guardian research? We'll need to form a few teams to lead the rest to get this place set up properly.

"Well… I think some nice purple curtains would go well in those windows," said Janet Wardrop.

"There you got — perfect!" Gabriel answered back encouragingly. "What else?"

"And I suppose…Gwen and I could speak to some of our Artisan friends about painting the ceilings," said Isabel Lang, looking at Gwen who still seemed to be in the throws of shock.

"Good! Who else?"

"What about a library and carpets, we'll need those," said Teresa Sinclair.

"And definitely something on the walls," added John Baird.

"Now you're getting the hang of it," Gabriel replied, inspired. "We'll let you and the other seventh-years take the lead and put the rest of us to work. We'll all meet together each night after class to check our progress." They all agreed.

"It looks like somebody has already tried to help out a little," said a boy named Joseph Philis, pointing at a painting next to the door behind them. They all crowded around the painting, which contained the image of Merlin and his Guardians that Anna first saw the year before on the hospital floor. Next to the portrait was a note.

_Please accept this gift from the staff of Castlewood on this – the first night in your new home. May it bond you together for the benefit of us all. Sincerely, Elimar Thordarson, Chancellor of Castlewood Academy._

"Kind of a gloomy thing," said a boy name Arthur Nelson. "But… I guess it's a start."

"Box!"

The group turned to find the girl calling herself Nox squatting alone in the middle of the hallway and looking at something small sitting in the center of the floor at her feet. The Guardians walked over as Nox straightened to point down.

"You want me to blast it?" she said with a sneer, whipping out her wand.

"Hold on," Anna said, grabbing the girl's wrist to stop her. She stooped down to take a closer look. Her eyes widened. "I know what this is…"

"Anna… there's a card under it."

Anna carefully lifted the box and picked up the card beneath. She read the familiar scribble and then looked up. "It's from my brother, Eric. Stand back."

They all moved back as Anna lifted the lid off the tiny, cube-like box sitting in the center of her palm. Suddenly there was a rush of blinding wind as a raging storm blew forth from out of the box. It whirled and turned, becoming a whipping-whirling tornado in the center of the great space. Thick clouds of smoke appeared to reveal two dragons battling and clawing at each other before a golden sword moved down their center to stop them. At last, the fighting dragons became part of an immense tapestry hanging from the stone arches high above them.

As the group struggled to catch their breath again, the Yolland girl stepped in to peer up at the adornment.

"Destruction and chaos," she said flippantly. "I like it!"

TWO

Thirty minutes later, Anna and Sarah were unpacking their trunks in their room.

"I see you brought your kaleidoscope again," Sarah said with a smile. She watched as Anna carefully removed the ancient instrument from its wooden box and then set it gently down on her dresser.

Anna stepped back to gaze at it. "Yeah… I thought about leaving it at home, but… well… I don't know. It seemed almost wrong to leave it behind."

"Do you know what you're going to ask it on your birthday?"

Anna hesitated. "I won't lie to you, I've been thinking about asking about my mother." She looked back at Sarah and found her expression worrisome.

"Really?"

Anna looked at the scope again and shrugged. "Well.. yeah… I mean, what's more important than finding out if my mother is safe?"

There was a quick knock at the front door.

"Anna? Sarah? Open up — quick!"

"That sounds like Gwen," Sarah said as she opened the door.

Sure enough, Gwen was standing in the hallway in her pajamas.

"Good — you're both still up. Come over to our room, I want to show you something." Anna looked at Sarah and then the two followed Gwen across the hallway. They entered a dark bedroom to find TJ, also in her pajamas, looking out the window.

"Are they still there?" Gwen whispered, as she moved onto the bed to look out.

"Yeah… they's there. Still pokin' around the edge of the forest," TJ replied, in a low and secretive voice.

"Who's poking around the forest?" Anna asked them.

"They is… look!"

Anna and Sarah crowded into the window to look out. There was a very long pause before, "I don't see anything. What are you looking at?"

"Wait a sec… hold on… there! You see 'em'?"

Anna looked out again and this time she did see something moving in the trees just inside the rim of the forest.

"Yes," Anna agreed, leaning further out. "Who is it?"

"There's two of them… actin' real suspicious. If you hada' asked me, I woulda' said they's a couple of peepin' Toms, until Gwen reminded me the girl's bedrooms are four floors up. Look… there they go again!"

Anna saw one of the two men flash something bright for an instant.

"See?" Gwen said, pointing down animatedly to the man in the forest. "He used his wand to flash a signal to somebody. That's got to be what it is. They've been doing that about every minute or so. We think the other man is carrying something, but I can't make out what it is."

"It looks like a sack. Look… somebody else is moving toward them!" Anna said, and all four girls dropped their heads to peer over the window ledge. They watched as the two men in the woods moved together toward a hooded, limping man coming at them along the forest's edge from the north. The three men finally met and they stepped into the forest together.

"What in the bloody blazes do ya figure they'r up to?" TJ said, falling back to look at the others.

"I don't know," Anna said, mystified by what they saw. "They weren't Crimson Guards, that's for sure. No cloaks."

"Yeah… and nobody is supposed to be outside the city walls after the station house shuts down," Gwen added. They all looked at her. "Saw it posted on the wall next to The Wompum Emporium earlier today. Some kind of new security thing."

They all looked outside again.

"Well… whoever gimpy and his friends're doing… they're gone now," TJ finished, moving away from the window.

Suddenly there was a flash of white light, and the girls moved quickly back to the window again in time to see another bolt of lightning fired from out of the forest toward the lower levels of the building below them.

"What are they doing?" yelped Sarah, ducking as another curse slammed into the side of their building.

"Geez… they're shootin' at us! They musta' seen us spying on 'em," TJ yelled back.

"No! Look! The Crimson Guards are coming, they must have seen them!" Anna yelled back.

They could see several figures in red-cloaks running from the building toward the edge of the forest. They were firing several spells into the trees where the three men had disappeared.

"Oh boy, the guards are gonna catch those peepers fer sure now!" TJ yelped happily. "Sick 'em boys!"

"Maybe not — look!"

The girls followed the line of trees along the edge of the forest and could see the limping man moving as quickly as his legs could carry him away from the battle.

"Look… he's carrying the sack from the other man," TJ said. She suddenly stuck her head out the window and started to shout. "Hey… he's over here! The peeper's down there!" she yelled at the Crimson Guards.

TJ! Get down!" Anna warned.

"But he's gettin' away!"

Anna was horrified to see the limping man turn and look up at their window above him. Although his face was buried deep in the folds of his hood, she could see the sack he was carrying disappear under his robes as his other hand came around.

"Watch out!" Anna yelled, grabbing TJ by her bottoms and yanking her back.

"Ouch!" TJ slammed her head on the upper sash.

"Get in here!"

Anna saw a flash in the woods below and yanked TJ inside by the waist again. A curse hit the wall above the window as all four girls toppled backward to the floor.

TJ was livid. "That wood-born varmint took a shot at us!" She stood and ran to her dresser and then whipped her wand about.

"Are you crazy? Stay down, you maniac!" Gwen yelled at her, but it was too late. TJ was already at the window again.

"Where'd he go? That low-down skunk of a peeper… where's he at?"

"You there… in the window. Get back inside!" yelled one of the guards below them. Another blast of red light smashed into the window frame from the limping man, propelling both TJ and Anna across the room in a boom of splintered wood and glass. They both hit the wall opposite and then fell to the floor.

"Anna! TJ! Are you all right?"

Anna looked up at TJ who was laying on top of her, her wand still clutched tight in her fist.

"Alrighty then…" TJ said, looking around at the dust and debris filling the room. "I guess we'll just stay low for a while. Best let the guards take it from here."

97


	10. Chapter 08 - The Scent of Things Small

Chapter 08D10

Chapter 8 (Draft 10)

The Scent of Things Small

ONE

As Anna burst through the thick clouds and into a bright morning sun, she couldn't believe it had been two whole months since her last ride on the Vollucross steed with sapphire blue eyes. Although she was enjoying her first ride of the season on Swooper immensely, the memories of her last ride were weighing heavy on her mind. It might have been the last thing she had ever done if not for her alley. Anna's life should have ended in the dungeons of Drogo prison that night, but she was saved from a horrific death at the hands of her vampire mother by Leola Grayson. And now her ally was in trouble, held a prisoner in a vessel somewhere on the Grayson estate more than two thousand miles away. She prayed Mrs. Porchdow would find her.

Anna's mind returned to her lasting nightmares of that dark and musty dungeon room. She could see the stone bed levered out of the wall, the rags for blankets, and the smell of rotting flesh. Breaking into Drogo had nearly been her doom, but she survived thanks to her ally. But there was something deliberately pulling at her consciousness that troubled her more - more than just finding Leola Grayson, and all at once Anna again felt a great sense of shame. In was in that moment after her mother's escape, while she lay bleeding to death on the dungeon floor, she had somehow found the strength to continue on, and it was that found reason for living that she continued to harbor her lingering thoughts of self-doubt, dishonor and humiliation.

In that moment, when her death was nearly secure, when she had willingly accepted its presence so near her, that she found a rage so deep, so penetrating, that even the Lethifold was pushed aside by it. All of what was left of her had been focused in on just one person, somebody who up to that time she had trusted with her life, who had taught her everything she knew about the world around her, but in the end… had betrayed her utterly. How could her father have lied to her for all of those years? Anna knew it was her need to confront him that had given her the strength she needed to survive that night, and as she rode through the sky she closed her eyes and bowed her head for the guilt those lasting feelings brought to her.

Perhaps it was the meeting she had with the Minister of Magic that had once again brought out her lasting feelings of betrayal toward her father and all of his secrets regarding her mother's death. Minister Barkelnap made it clear that she had not forgiven her father to the level Anna tried to portray at the time, but despite all the logical reasons her father used to explain why her mother's past was kept a secret from her, Anna still felt her lasting anger growing warm even as the cold wind around them worked to cool her blood.

But Anna also knew something more that forced to set aside all of her residual anger toward her father and his many sins of omission. Deep down, Anna knew who it was that was really responsible for everything that had happened to her family and to her mother, and she could feel her rage rising like black magma out of her stomach by that truth. It was always the same when she thought about him, _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_, the Dark Lord. Although she knew at the time her ability to fight on after her mother had nearly killed her was the anger she felt toward her father, that anger had now been passed on to the evil calling himself Voldemort. Voldemort was back, and she wanted him to suffer in the ways he had made her mother suffer. She wanted him to pay for what he'd done to her family. He deserved death for these sins, and some day…despite all the theoretical detachments due her role as the first Guardian in more than fifteen centuries, Anna knew beyond any doubt that _she_ would somehow play some part in the devil's end. Yes, she had something the Minister of Magic did not – she _knew_ Voldemort was back, and thus she also knew the sisters of vengeance, revenge and retribution would someday earn their moment in the sun.

Anna took a deep breath and then gave a left touch to the reins, which Swooper ignored with a jerk back through his bridle.

"Don't tell me you're still angry with me?" she said, looking down at him from the side. He turned his head to look away from her.

"Come on… I said I was sorry," she pleaded. "It wasn't my fault it took me two days to come and see you. The whole city is locked down tight. Until they catch _Reggie Carter_ again it's going to be difficult to move around as we please. It took me the whole day yesterday just to get my security papers." Anna paused to frown. "That wicked Gregory Dunning is looking for any excuse he can to make trouble for the Graysons again."

Anna remembered her encounter with Dunning the previous day in his dungeon office. After knocking lightly on the metal door with the heavy iron ring, she heard a voice on the other side.

"Enter!"

"Excuse me… ah… Lieutenant Dunning? One of the guards here said you wanted to see me?"

Anna was poking her head just inside the heavy metal door; she was reluctant to enter the office fully.

"Dunning looked up. "Ah… yes… Miss Grayson. Do come in," he said almost kindly. Anna tried to smile; she was hoping the Chancellor's efforts to wipe Dunning's memory two months earlier had given her a clean slate with the ex-Captain of the Guard.

She cautiously stepped into the gloom of the room, lit only by the glow of a single candle sitting upon the corner of his desk. Hunched over the parchment in front of him, Anna thought the light gave the Lieutenant the look of Ebenezer Scrooge. She reluctantly nodded as he pointed to an empty chair across from his desk.

Anna noticed a set of chains wrapped around the arms of the chair and they rattled ominously as she sat. Anna tried to sound upbeat. "I was just here to pick up my security pass to Spellsburg."

Dunning did not speak immediately, choosing instead to sit across and stare at her. After what seemed an hour, Dunning finally replied. "And what makes you believe you're entitled to a security pass outside the castle grounds?"

Anna was surprised. It hadn't occurred to her that she would be denied a pass for any reason.

"I… ah… well… I hope to fly for my Hall's Vollucross team again, so I'll need to practice. And my brother Eric is living in the city, so I'd like to visit with him as much as possible. And then there's…" She suddenly halted. The smirk on Dunning's face told her she hadn't touched upon anything in his mind that would grant her a pass. Anna frowned. "I didn't realize the students could be refused a pass," she finished challengingly.

The sneer that greeted her was quick. "Of course you can be denied. This _is_ an important matter of plateau security. Any student who has been deemed as a risk to the town or the school, for example, will be denied immediately."

Anna was surprised. "But I'm not a risk to anybody."

Dunning looked like a man with a lot he was unwilling to say, his contempt obvious in his response.

"I'll be the judge of that, Miss Grayson," he replied angrily. He took out a piece of parchment to write. "Where exactly does your bother live in the city?"

"He…" She halted again. "Is that information really necessary for you to know?"

"No, it is not."

"Then why are you asking...?"

"Because you came here looking for a security pass. If you don't want the pass, then you can leave now without answering any of my questions."

Anna fumed. "Eric is staying at a placed called _The Bloody Blotter_ on Leth Alley."

Dunning smirked as he wrote. "I should think the Graysons could afford nicer accommodations more suitable to the amenities you've grown accustom."

Anna tried to remain calm, immediately reverting to her father's coaching and high speech. "Fortunately, my brother is not so shallow as to demand such trappings," she snarled back.

Dunning gave out a soft _humph_ as he continued to write. He finally stopped and looked up. "And… the rest of your clan? How are they getting along since their arrival on the plateau?"

"The rest of my _family_…" Anna replied, incredulously, "…is getting along just fine, thank you."

Dunning smiled. "And your father? I would think the Ministry is keeping Director Grayson very busy these days."

Anna was stunned. Dunning had never been interested in her father's work.

"His duties usually do, of course," she answered with a frown. "Why do you ask?"

Dunning ignored the question as he looked down to write again. And then, without looking up, he said, "And your mother?"

Anna couldn't help letting out a sharp gasp of shocked surprise, which didn't go unnoticed. Dunning's eyes lifted and the two found themselves glaring at each other like two lions across a fresh kill.

_He remembers_, Anna thought quickly. But her father said the Lieutenant's memory had been wiped clean of Victoria Grayson, of Drogo entirely, and his suspicions of Anna's involvement with her escape. She stared at the man and watched his mouth curl a wicked smile. _He still knows everything_.

It was more than the way he looked; it was in his eyes. And then it dawned on her: This was why she was sitting there in his office. It had nothing to do with security; that was just a pretext for what he was doing now. He wanted to see her shocked expression when she realized he still knew her deepest secrets. Her anger flashed. Whatever was supposed to have been done to his memory had not worked. Realizing what pleasure her shocked expression must have given to him, Anna immediately moved to halt his amusement. She felt the muscles in her face relax.

"What about my mother?" Anna asked him testingly. Waiting for his reply, she looked for the ways in which he would continue to hint at what she was sure he already knew.

"Is she well?"

Anna's face remained expressionless. "What kind of question is that?"

The lieutenant smiled again. "It's a security question." He went back to his writing. "Do you think your mother will be visiting you here in Spellsburg?"

Anna's anger was growing steadily. She knew what he was doing. Walking a very tight rope with his every word, he was revealing to her the fact that the spells used to expunge his memory hadn't worked properly. Anna's was drawn to catalog every guarded signal he was giving her and then quickly realized one important thing truth. Despite what Dunning thought he knew, there was a difference between his hinting now and his accusations in the past: He wasn't _supposed_ to know anything. He might try and keep his knowledge of Drogo and her mother a secret, to hold the Ministry from attempting to wipe his memory again, but it was clear he was reserving these moments of _selective_ _awareness_ just for her. Anna moved to put an end to his torments.

"My mother is dead," Anna said flatly.

Dunning's smile never broke. In fact, it widened immeasurably.

"Really?" he replied in mocked surprise. "I hadn't heard. Was she killed sometime over the summer?"

Anna held her breath. "No…" she seethed, "it happened soon after I was born."

Dunning's eyes flashed. She could tell it was taking all his strength to keep from shouting it out, _You're lying! Your mother is an escaped prisoner! She's a killer!_

"That will be all, Miss Grayson," he said unexpectedly, his professional manner returning as moved to write on his parchment again. "You may go. You will be informed before the end of the day of my decision to issue you a security pass."

"Fine," Anna said flatly. She immediately stood and headed for the door. She was almost at the latch when she heard Dunning's lowered voice behind her again.

"Of course, I remember…"

Anna cringed and then slowly turned to face the lieutenant again. He was staring at her, his quill now lying quiet on his desk. She was somewhat surprised that Dunning, now successful in his attempt to inform her that his memory was still whole, would press the game more.

"What do you remember, lieutenant?" Anna challenged him.

He was quiet for a moment and then said, "I remember… you brought a house elf from home with you last year. Unfortunately, this year our security measures will not allow for any such accommodations." He sneered again. "Your personal servant will have to be sent home."

Anna smiled reproachfully. "Gabby did not travel to Castlewood with me this year."

"Charming," Dunning replied, picking up his quill again to write the note down.

"What's charming?"

"The fact that you actually name the creatures you command."

This time Anna smiled. "You are an astounding man, Lieutenant Dunning."

The man looked up at her and frowned. Plainly, he hadn't expected her reply.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You have such an excellent memory of every detail both inside and outside this castle, both now and in the past. Yet, you don't know the simplest of things obvious to everybody else living here."

"What are you babbling on about, Grayson?"

Anna grabbed the latch and opened the door. Looking back, she said, "All of the elves in this castle have names, lieutenant. And they, like you, have an excellent memory. But they also have one important gift that helps them to survive."

He glowered at her. "And what would that be?"

She smiled again. "They always know what's important to forget." And with that said, Anna left Lieutenant Dunning's office.

Anna gave the reins a sharp snap and Swooper dipped his wings into a roll at her command. She smiled broadly; it was worth Dunning's private little tortures to do this - to fly again. She leveled off once more and closed her eyes as the morning air filled her senses even as the security brand on her chest crackled and popped.

There was a slight twinge of pain in her shoulder as she gently moved the reins left, the resultant injury of the limping man's blast that sent her and TJ across the room. It took but a wave of his wand for Professor Thordarson to repair the damage to the building, but his anger was rather frightening to witness the night before. She had never seen the greatest wizard in all the Americas so absorbed by rage. His public chastising of the new Captain of the Guard at the edge of the forest had most of the students from the Guardian and the adjoining Artisan Hall peering out their windows in stunned silence. Luckily for the captain, the Chancellor's anger was short-lived when the Mayor of Spellsburg joined them outside the walls with several other guards and teachers.

The Mayor was still wearing a full-length sleeping gown under a half-twisted robe and a bright yellow cap upon his head. He carried a wand in one hand and his ornamental scepter of office in the other.

It had been a very long night. So much so that when Doctor Pearl finished repairing TJ's injuries, Anna remained quiet about her stiff shoulder to avoid even the remote chance of spending yet another night on the hospital floor.

One by one, their stories were taken and recorded and Anna was surprised to hear Captain Hayman saying there were smugglers using the forest to hide illegal goods in and out of the city. It seemed insane for anybody to use the Shadowed Forest for anything considering how dangerous it would be to enter and especially during that time of high security. The escaped prisoner from Drogo was still at large, there were guards everywhere looking for him, and still these men continued their illegal trade within the Shadowed Forest. Their audacity was unbelievable to everyone.

Worst of all, Captain Hayman believed the reason these men had not been caught was because they spent so little time in transition between the forest and the city. Whatever they were selling in Spellsburg was obviously being taken out of the forest; Hayman was sure of it.

From what Anna was able to remember from the gathering of thieves outside TJ's window, the contraband was small enough to put into a sack. _What was it they were stealing from the forest?_

Anna also remembered Eric telling her the same story about the smugglers the year before, after she had been arrested for sending her owl to Drogo. At the time, Eric said Hayman told him Anna's arrest had been a mistake, a lot of confusion brought on by the Captain's efforts to find this same band of smugglers. At the time, Anna thought that was just a lie, that Dunning was actually trying to hide the fact she had seen one of the most notorious secret places in all the Wizarding world; a place Captain Dunning was responsible for keeping hidden from public view. While Dunning had indeed lied about the reasons for her arrest, it would seem he was not lying about the existence of the smugglers at all. It now seemed clear to Anna that he was just using the convenience of their existence to keep from being sacked.

Anna turned Swooper again and headed back to the stadium. Forty minutes later, she was walking through the gates of the city and thinking about her scheduled classes. It was still early and the rising sun had not reached the largest portions of the city yet, which sat cold in the shadows behind the union walls. Several shops were beginning to open their doors for business, slowly rolling their samples to the sidewalks in the hope of catching the eye of a passing patron with excess gold jingling in their pockets.

"Good morning…" Anna said, stopping obligingly to look at a rack of dress robes.

"Good morning, dear," said a kindly witch, redressing the clothing on one of the wooden branches. "Fifteen percent off today," she said in a reedy voice.

Anna took her time moving up the street, talking to some of the shopkeepers as they prepared for the day's business. The streets were getting busier as the morning dew burned away and the city shadows retreated toward the union walls.

And then, quite unexpectedly, Anna caught the sudden scent of something odd in the air. More than the passing smell of something unexpected, this had an odd aroma about it, something that she thought she had smelled once before, but she couldn't quite place it. Why such a thing would gather her attention so quickly was puzzling to her, for the smell wasn't exactly pleasant and it certainly wasn't something stirring her morning appetite looking for a missed breakfast… no. This was touching something more meaningful, much more basic within her core. The smell moved through her chest like a hunger, making her lungs rumble and heat up. She cautiously looked around, searching for the source of the scent she was experiencing and her nose began to sniff greedily into the morning breeze.

Anna continued up the street again, turning to follow whatever it was tapping at her senses. She didn't bother to watch where she was going, choosing instead to focus on the scent she now followed through the air like a bloodhound. She turned left, headed up an alley, then right again, before making her way down another street only to stop when she realized she was going the wrong way. The scent beckoned at her to turn and Anna willingly followed, realizing late why it was taking so long to find what it was driving her onward. Whatever the thing was… it was moving.

Like her, the thing she was tracking was traveling through the streets of the city. When she felt herself going the wrong way, it wasn't her failure to keep pace with it; it was the thing itself turning unexpectedly as Anna closed in. Still, she knew she was getting closer. Like the bloodhound pursuing its first fox, magic's first Guardian was honing in.

Anna slowly jogged up a barren street and was somewhat relieved to see one of the towers of Castlewood coming into view in the distance. She stopped to look down another open alley. _No… it's up a little bit further,_ her mind said after checking the strange tapping in her chest once more, but it was close now — very close. The thing she was tracking wasn't running or making any attempt to escape the fixated howling coming from Anna's brain as she closed in.

_I have you now, little fox_, Anna thought, as she stopped to look up the next alley. She was breathing hard, but she wasn't really aware of it. In that moment, her body was a slave to her senses, driven only by what they were discerning through the rising smell of normal city life. The scent of breakfast, burning wood, of people, mold and garbage in the alleyways, they were all there; but buried deep beneath it all the fox was still there. She knew the thing was moving in parallel on the next street over, just a few more steps passed the alley that connected the two of them. Anna smiled and looked further up the hill. She would cut it off at the next alley.

She bolted forward, allowing for the moment to let her legs outrun her senses; they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were applauding her actions; they were closing in. She turned right into the next alley and entered the shadows within. Her senses were almost screaming in ecstasy as she moved forward, their applause turning into a roar of delight in her head. She moved quickly toward the light at the end of the alley, knowing with every fiber within that the thing was now moving toward her.

_I'll cut it off at the street, _she thought, and her heart raced beneath her lungs; the tapping there had become a firehouse bell. She flew into the next street and slid to a stop. The fox was cornered now, _from_ _which tree is he hiding? _she thought with amusement.

To her surprise, the street she had entered was very busy. Several citizens and even a few students were now clogging its cobbled walkways both in front and behind her. The alarm bells in her chest were now banging so hard against her ribcage they actually hurt, and Anna leaned on a still-flickering lamppost to calm herself. She took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and looked up again to peer into the faces passing on her left and right and those across the street coming up the hill.

And then she saw him and Anna's eyes widened in horror as the man moved unknowingly toward her. She fell back against the building, allowing the crossing pedestrians to block her from his view as he continued up the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Anna turned around to act interested in the window display and watched him through the reflection passing her position on the other side. She slowly turned to watch him hobble and gimp along, without so much of a glance her way. It was the hooded limping man she had seen in the forest the night before, the same man who fired at their window for trying to give away his position to the guards. The sack he was carrying the night before was gone, of course, replaced by a crooked cane, which he depended on heavily as he walked along.

Without thinking, Anna found herself following him on the other side of the street, and then gasped as he turned up another alley to move away from her. Anna dashed into the street to follow and then stopped suddenly.

"Watch out!" the man yelped as he zipped by her on a door, giving her a friendly wave as he looked back. Anna finished crossing the street and then peered down the alley. She could see the limping man moving toward another street on the other side.

The alley gap contained the smell of the man between its narrow walls, and there was something about his scent that seemed unnatural to Anna; something that she was sure didn't belong to him. Where had she smelled it before? She wanted to follow, but quickly realized that idea might be too dangerous. And then four more men unexpectedly bumped into her as they entered the alley from behind, barely noticing her as they passed. Anna's heart leapt at her good fortune and she quickly moved in behind their mass to follow the limping man farther. She could see his dark hood looking back at the crowd of men behind him and noticed his gimping steps increase their pace as he continued on. They had almost caught up to the man as he turned left and fell out of sight once more. The crowd of men turned the other way and Anna jogged forward to enter the next sidewalk. The man had crossed the street again and turned down yet another alley. She took one step to follow and then…

"Well — well — well, look what we have here, boys. It's the first Guardian."

Anna turned to find a man sitting at a tiny, round table with two others drinking coffee. She recognized the man immediately and just as quickly tried to ignore him. It was Michael Wendell.

Wendell had almost killed Anna the year before during her fist Vollucross race. She remembered that day vividly, and especially the look in Michael's face as he brought his wand around to cut her harness away. That action sent her tumbling into the forest and almost to her death, and it was only due to the creature called Trog that she survived the fall that day. As punishment for his actions, Wendell was removed from his Defender Vollucross team and never allowed to ride again.

"What… not even a friendly hello, Grayson?" the boy added quickly with a smile.

Anna looked back around at him. He seemed much more casual now that he'd graduated and left Castlewood. His hair was a bit longer, his face unshaven, but his eyes were the same as the day he'd hope to put her down. They were black as coal and piercing.

"Drop-dead, Michael!" Anna snapped back, looking around again at the alley entrance where the limping man had disappeared.

"Whoa — Whoa — Whoa…" Wendell quipped, looking back at his friends at his table. They were smiling as Michael stood and then stepped in front of Anna. "Now what manners are these, Grayson? Surely the Guardians can be taught the simplest of courtesies."

Anna stepped back from him. At least a foot taller, Michael Wendell had always been a menacing presence even among his fellow seventh-years.

"I have nothing to say to you," Anna growled back. She tried to move around him, but he grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Oh — come on now, Grayson," he replied. "Why don't you let me buy you a coffee? Join me and my friends here," he offered, motioning back to the table.

"No, thank you."

His eyes bore into her. "And why not? There's no reason to be rude."

Anna could hear Michael's friends snickering behind her.

"No reason to be rude?" Anna said, seething. "How about you trying to murder me? I think most decent people would call that reason enough."

Michael's friends immediately stopped laughing. He must have noticed it too, because he turned to them with a late smile.

"Rubbish! Only a first-year would call a fall in a Vollucross race attempted murder."

Anna could see a look of acknowledgment on his friends' faces as their smiles quickly returned.

Anna stepped up to Michael again. "Well I'm not a first-year anymore, and I still say it was you trying to kill me." She turned to move away again, but Michael grabbed her shoulder once more.

"Anna, please…"

"Let go of me!" She twisted it away and brought her wand around to point it under his chin. "If you ever put your hands on me again… I'll make you regret it!"

His friends stopped laughing again and Michael Wendell had that same look of murder in his eyes Anna had seen so many times in her dreams since that terrible day over the Shadowed Forest. The Guardian didn't flinch as the man's glare bore into her; she knew those eyes would soon invade her nightmares once again.

Michael slowly backed away. "Very well, Grayson. I'm sorry you can't join us, and I'm sorry you still don't understand the difference between a friendly competition and a real fight."

Anna was seething. "I'll give you a fight you won't believe if you ever come near me again, Michael." And without waiting for his reply, Anna turned and walked away.

She crossed the street quickly and ducked down the alley after the limping man again. She stopped to gather herself, looking back to make sure Wendell wasn't pursuing her. She took a calming breath and then turned again, looking for the limping man's scent once more. In spite of Wendell delaying her, the man she pursued was still very close. She continued cautiously down the alleyway and found it ended at a tee. She carefully sniffed at the air once more and then turned right to follow, passing a wanted poster of Reginald Carter along the way.

A row of shabby townhouses came into view; their entranceways, crowded together and peeling, lined the alley on either side of the dirty, trash littered street. Some of the shutters hung lopsided on their hinges while others went missing altogether. The dwellings, packed tightly together and separated only by their crumbling steps, had an odd, almost stubborn stature about them that seemed to send a clear message to the rest of the city: _We were here long before all the others on this hill._

Anna looked around the old and broken street, sniffing at the air again for the limping man. _He was close… very close. _She slowly continued up the gloomy alley lined with dead trees, suddenly aware of the other smells now mixing with what she was tracking. The stench of rotting garbage more then anything, but then there was the scent of burning wood and coal, mingling with somebody's breakfast of bacon and toast.

Finally, she came upon a boarded up residence next to an open gap; a place where small piles of wood and rubble looked carefully placed to make the missing house look like it had been knocked down and cleaned away decades earlier.

_Yes… it's supposed to look that way,_ Anna thought, suspiciously. As she stood before the open gap, she could sense enough to know she should be hiding herself. She moved quickly behind an old, broken closet, which had been abandoned and pushed uncaringly against the wall next to the gap. She peered out to sniff at the air again. This was the place all right. Although most of the homes around her were probably vacant, she knew the gap before her was certainly not. The smell was strongest here, but it wasn't the hammering in her lungs, now wailing out her close proximity to four-alarms, it was the bluish-white glow that settled like a fog within the gap, and like a parent spying the hiding place of a playing child, Anna smiled amusedly.

A lot had happened to Anna Grayson over the last year of her life. She had seen terrible things, almost killed twice, and witnessed great levels of magic that both awed her and made her cringe in mortal fear, but it was in these special moments of awareness that reminded her just how different she was in the world. The special gifts of magic given to no one else since the time of Merlin were now in full force, and although she rarely allowed herself to think what it truly meant to be so different, it was moments like this that she truly loved being what she had become.

Anna moved carefully around the closet where she was hiding and placed her hand onto the stone enveloped within the haze.

"Hello, my friends," she said expectantly.

"_Sithmaith!"_ came a surprised whisper in reply.

The voice was somewhat different than most Anna had encountered. This one was weak, like that of an old woman. The magic found here was almost feeble.

"The world is well," Anna whispered quickly in expectation of the next question.

_The world is well, _the voice repeated._ How may I serve you, Guardian?" _

"I am the _Secret Keeper_ of this dwelling enchanted by Fidelius, am I not?"

Without hesitation,_ "You are the Secret Keeper of Fidelius."_

"Then show me this place."

Without argument, the gap between the two abandon houses began to ripple and distort in what little light existed around it. Suddenly, the top of a brick chimney, smoke still pouring from its top, began to rise straight out of the ground. The chimney was connected to an angle of old slate, which eventually became a roof with broken dormers. The house continued to rise out of the rain-swept mud and finally towered three full stories before her. It was still enveloped within the Fidelius charm that kept its existence a secret to anybody who might have been standing next to Anna.

When the old row house stopped rising, a small porch began to move forward to connect itself to the broken sidewalk. A door appeared beneath an alcove and two windows on either side.

And now Anna could hear the voices of two men arguing through a cracked window above her hiding place. Anna quickly moved forward to the closest window and slowly rose up to peer inside.

Another man was yelling at the limping-man. "What do you mean you're not interested?" the man bellowed, confident their secret keeper status within the house would stifle his roar. Anna tried to see the limping man's face, but his back was to her.

"I mean… I don't want it," the limping man replied coolly.

The second man was a bit taller and only slightly better kept than the limping man. His clothes were in need of a wash, and even from the window from which Anna was spying she could smell his chewing tobacco, which he turned to spit on the floor near the limping-man's feet.

"I came here to buy an egg, not some half-dead rat with wings," the limping added, pointing down into a basket sitting on the floor before them.

"What difference does it make? My men worked just as hard to steal it for the _Collector_ as they did the rest; you have to take it."

"What difference does it make?" limping man said sardonically. "There's a big difference between a nice quiet egg and that squawking, sickly looking thing. It's bad enough the Crimson Guards are inspecting the cargo going on and off every ship, but how am I supposed to get that down to the dock without somebody hearing all the whining and coughing? Have some reason, man. If I'm caught, you and all your men would be just three drops of veritaserum away from Azkaban yourself."

The man spit down at the floor again. "Just puta silencing charm on it? That'll keep it quiet long enough."

"The dragon would never survive the trip."

_The dragon?_

Spitting-man sneered angrily. "The stupid thing broke out of its shell just this morning; of all the rotten luck. What am I supposed to do with it now?"

The limping man let out a heave as he looked down at the basket again. "Shame… really," he moaned, almost caringly. "It would have made a nice little profit for you. The collector is charging me five-hundred galleons each."

Spitting-man straightened. "Five-hundred, you say? Outstanding! The demand is growing; before long, he'll be asking a thousand! I was skeptical about our partnership with the collector even after he showed us a shorter path to the cliffs, but he promised he could get us the right price for our risks.

"Perhaps: A very rare breed from a secret location… set deep in one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Your men have cut themselves an excellent path to the lair. They should be applauded. The collector is very pleased."

"And they expect to be paid well," spitting-man answered sardonically. "Unlike you… not all of us have cushy jobs in the Ministry and we lost one of the men to an Acromantula on our last trip."

Anna's mind was seething at what she was overhearing. The limping man was working in the Ministry? She tried again to see his face, but the spitting-man was standing between them. Anna growled. These smugglers were stealing dragon eggs and selling them for profit. She could feel her Guardian blood beginning to boil with disgust and rage. _What gives them the right?_

"The collector pays your men well enough for their risk you take, and they will continue to reap the rewards of our venture together so long as they can keep the flow of eggs coming," limping man replied.

There was a pause before spitting-man said, "So what am I to do with this one?" Anna could hear a faint and sickly squawk coming from the basket.

The limping man shifted his unsteady weight again on his cane. "Drown it," he replied callously.

_NO!_ Anna almost screamed.

The spitting-man was quiet, which gave Anna a moment of hope, but then, "Gladly; the stupid thing's already making too much noise anyway. Probably keep me up all night otherwise."

Anna began to draw out her wand as the limping man shook his head. "His fire is nearly out anyway. Without its mother's constant care and scorching breath, the thing won't last but a couple of hours anyway."

"I didn't think this breed had fire."

"Not that they can use for hunting or defense, but all dragons have something of a smolder in their bellies, especially the nesting females. Take care when you put it down. Vipertooth venom is not lethal at this size, but a bite will certainly require medical care and we don't want to bring any unwanted attention to ourselves by trying to explain what it was that bit you. Tell your men to try and gather only the hottest eggs from now on. Those would be the newest laid and should give us the time we need to get them off of the plateau."

Anna peered over the sill of the window again and unconsciously raised her wand. _I won't let them do it. They won't be allowed._

Spitting-man finally stepped away from the basket. "I'll do it after breakfast. Come on… I found a new place two streets over that can serve a decent morning steak."

Anna fell back into her hiding place once more at the approaching footsteps and the sound of several banging doors. She just made it back to the dilapidated closet when the front door threw itself open. The two men stepped down onto the sidewalk and then turned to watch the row house sink back down into the mud, leaving an empty gap in its place once more. The limping man's hood was covering his head again.

Anna watched them turn together and slowly walk away. Then, at the first corner, they fell out of sight and Anna scampered forward to follow them. She cautiously looked around the bend and watched the two men all the way to the end of the alley where they turned again for the open street beyond. Anna ran back to the gap and jammed her hand into the bluish mist. A minute later, she was sliding open the window to the room where the two men had been talking. It was a tight fit, especially in her Guardian robs, but she was determined to get to the dragon as quickly as possible. She fell to the floor inside with a dull thud, quickly got to her feet again, and then ran to the dirty basket sitting on the floor.

Certainly, Anna was no expert when it came to dragons. In fact, other than the projection she saw during the _Triwizard Tournament_, this was the first one she'd ever seen. Still, she could immediately tell this one was in terrible condition. Its body looked like a freshly minted penny, copper color, with blotches of black all over its body. It had tiny bumps on the top of its head and dirty rags for wings that lay in a sprawl around its body. The uncaring way in which the thing hadn't bothered to tuck in his wings had Anna believing the creature was close to death. She reached down and carefully lifted the dragon up to cuddle it against her body.

"There — there, little guy," Anna said, comfortingly. "Don't worry... I won't hurt you." The dragon opened its eyes to murmur a tired coo and Anna could see a drip of green spittle running out of its mouth. She gently folded his wings together properly and then moved him inside her robes against her body. She could feel his trembling chest flatten against hers, seeking her warmth.

"I have to get your out of here." She quickly moved back to the window and looked out. "Can't go that way again; not with you under my robes — gonna have to be the front."

She moved to the door and saw it opened to an adjoining parlor. There was a mattress lying on the floor against the wall and a kettle sitting on a plate next to it. Outside the adjoining double doors to the hallway sat two more doors off their hinges. Anna headed out, turned right, and found the front door. She peered out onto the porch and the street through the dirty glass before jiggling the knob. It was locked.

"Oh… for heaven's sake," Anna huffed angrily, "You would think Fidelius would be secure enough!" She reached into her robes to remove her wand again and she could hear the baby dragon give out a squawk of protest in reply. She pointed the wand down.

"_Alohomora!"_ The lock clicked and Anna looked out as she moved her wand away. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "Thank you," she said, placing her hand on the wood of the door one last time.

"_Be gone, Guardian — before the thief returns,"_ said the magical voice, worriedly.

Anna left, clutching the little bundle close to her body and wondering aloud, "And who is this… collector?"

TWO

"Are you insane?" Gwen stood staring disbelievingly into Anna's bathtub. The baby dragon lay in a pile of moss surrounded by a circle of hot stones. It was the next morning, and Anna was up all night caring for the creature with a book in her lap, _The Raising of Baby Dragons_ by Waterdee Matthias.

"What the heck are those fer?" TJ asked, pointing down at the stones.

"The tub reflects the heat back toward the middle," Anna replied, looking away from her book. She pointed her wand down into the ring of stones. _"Incendio!"_ she whispered, and the stones grew red hot.

"He's looking a lot better than he did last night," Sarah observed, looking over at Anna excitedly. "Did he eat anything yet?"

Anna smiled. "Yeah; Hobbs brought him another rat this morning. He gobbled it right down."

Suddenly, and as if on cue, Hobbs shot through the open window and turned into the bathroom. The owl landed on the edge of the tub with a dead squirrel in his clutches. The sleeping dragon instantly rolled onto its feet and began to beg like a fledgling in its nest.

"He can't possibly be eatin' all that," TJ surmised, looking at the half-mauled squirrel. "That critter's nearly's big as he is."

Anna took the dead squirrel by the tail and lowered it into the tub to the squeals of disgust from Gwen and TJ behind her. They watched in astonishment as the baby dragon snatched the rodent and eagerly began to rip it apart.

"Holy-moly — I guess he can eat it," TJ said in wonder. "Look at him go!"

"That is soooo… gross…" Gwen said, turning to leave the bathroom. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Without waiting to be told, Hobbs leapt into the air and quickly turned toward the open window again, while Anna, TJ and Sarah watched the dragon eat everything within the billowing bits of fur floating about them.

"_Incendio!"_ Anna whispered again, heating up the rocks once more.

"Hobbs is acting like his daddy," TJ said, as she watched the owl clear the window with a screech.

"Yeah… well… papa Hobbs had better watch himself or that dragon's gonna make a meal out of him, too," Gwen said, scowling.

Anna stuck her hand in the tub and stroked the dragon's bright-copper scales. The dragon looked up and cooed admiringly at her. Then, deciding it was time to play, it started walking around in the tub and head-butting the stones toward the middle around him.

"Would you look at that," TJ quipped. "That's one smart critter. He acts like our bull _Billy_-_Jack_ back at home." She looked up and smiled. "He's always buttin' heads wit' everything around him. We had to trim his horns, it got so bad.

Finally, the dragon yawned, cooed again, and then curled into a ball to sleep. Gwen, still looking a bit green around the ears, was back in the bathroom again.

"Where did he come from? And what the heck are you going to do with him now?"

Anna looked surprised. In all the excitement she had completely forgotten to tell her friends about the limping-man. As they gathered their books and bags for class, Anna told them how she had seen the man walking through the city and followed him to the old row house. She left out the important parts about smelling the scent in the air, which she had since come to realize was the smell of the dragon on the man's clothes. When she told them how she had broken into the house to steal the dragon back, Gwen had nearly reached the point of fearful collapse.

"You broke in and stole it? Are you crazy? They could have killed you! If you had been caught…"

"What was I supposed to do? Just let them kill him?"

Surprisingly… it was Sarah who seemed the most understanding. "No," she said immediately, "they shouldn't be allowed! They can't continue stealing and killing these dragons."

Anna looked at Sarah with astonishment. She remembered those same words coming into her mind the moment she understood what the limping-man was planning to do.

"These dragons are supposed to be protected," Sarah continued, "I read it in Anna's book this morning. We have to stop these men; we have to report them to the guards, to Captain Hayman, to Lieutenant Dunning, the Chancellor, to anybody who'll listen to us."

"Whoa, calm down, girl" Gwen said, worriedly, but Sara's reaction made Anna smile.

"I wish I could see the place where it was born," Sarah went on longingly, looking down at the now sleeping dragon.

"Me too," Anna agreed. "I'm going to report what I saw to Captain Hayman as soon as possible. I should be able to tell them where the house is, because…"

Anna stopped suddenly when she noticed TJ staring at her with a look astonished wonder.

"What?"

"You… can see through a Fidelius Charm?" TJ's expression turned suspicious.

Anna was suddenly reluctant to answer. She remembered McGonagall's warnings not to share too much about her own abilities.

"Yes… she can," Gwen answered her, "and this isn't the first time either. Anna's done it before. She once…"

"Gwen — stop!" Anna warned. She was sure Gwen was going to tell TJ about her trip to Drogo.

"What?" Gwen replied, knowingly. She winked at Anna. "I was just going to tell her how you found your father's vault, which was protected by Fidelius."

Anna was so relieved she didn't protest her friend telling TJ how Anna had become the vault's secret keeper.

TJ's look of surprise and wonder was renewed. "Is this ability a Guardian thang, or jus' somethin' you can do?" she asked her, suddenly hopeful.

Anna decided to end the discussion quickly. "I don't know, TJ, but please… don't tell anybody about this. I wouldn't want people to think that I'm some kind of sneak-thief."

"But how you gonna to tell Captain Hayman about the gimp? How you gonna explain how you knew where to find his hideout?"

Anna hadn't thought of that. She pondered the question for a moment and then said, "I don't know, but I'm still going to report it. We can't let a bunch of criminals continue stealing these eggs. If I have to, I'll just say I don't know why I saw it. They'll catch the guy — and that's all that really matters anyway, right?"

A second later, Hobbs flew into the window carrying another dead rat in his talons. With a happy screech, he turned into the bathroom again. The four girls stared at each other when they heard a rumble of stones and the district sound of begging coming from the next room. Anna's new charge was squawking excitedly.

Gwen looked appalled. "No way! That thing still can't be hungry, can it?"

Sarah ducked into the bathroom again, but they didn't need to hear her report. The eager growling intermingled with the distinct sound of tearing flesh told them all they needed to know.

110


	11. Chapter 09 - A Final Debt Paid

Chapter 09D10

Chapter 9 (Draft 10)

A Final Debt Paid

ONE

"So when are you going to tell Captain Hayman where the limping guy is hiding?" Gwen asked Anna, as the two followed Sarah and TJ to their first Care of Magical Creatures class.

"I have a break after my second class," Anna replied, turning down a corridor away from Gwen. "I'll let you know what he says tonight." Gwen nodded before disappearing into the crowd.

They entered Care of Magical Creatures to find Eric Grayson sitting at the teacher's desk.

"Eric!" Anna yelped in surprised. "What are you doing here? Is daddy all right?"

Her brother smiled. "Father is fine. Have a seat, Anna."

Anna frowned. "But… why…?"

"Please… have a seat," he repeated sharply.

Anna did as she was told, and TJ and Sarah Bell sat next to her looking confused.

"What's goin' on, Anna," TJ whispered. "Why's your brother here?"

Anna shrugged.

The bell rang and Eric stood. "Good morning, class," he said merrily. "For those who don't remember me from last year, my name is Eric Grayson and I'll be your instructor for this semester's Care of Magical Creatures class."

"Instructor?" Anna blurted out.

Eric smiled, but ignored his sister. "Professor Motim is one of my advanced instructors in my career of choice, and part of my studies will include student teaching in some of his classes. I'm looking forward to moving through Professor Motin's course outline with you, so let's get started. Please turn to chapter one in your texts and let's start by discussing…"

"How many classes are you teaching for Motim?" Anna interrupted him. "Isn't this a bit much on top of all your other studies?"

"Miss Grayson…" Eric shot back. "You will find I prefer a very tight regiment in my classes, which will preclude the shouting out of questions without first raising your hand."

Anna's mouth dropped. "_Miss Grayson_?" she whispered to herself. "Eric… I…"

"That's Mr. Grayson… if you don't mind, Miss Grayson." Eric said flatly.

Anna frowned again and leaned forward to breathe… "Does daddy know about this?"

"What my family might think about my field of study, Miss Grayson, is of no consequence to your work in my class. Please turn to page ten of your text and let us begin our discussion of the Class B creatures we will be studying this year."

There was some light-hearted snickering around Anna as several students opened their books.

Anna frowned. "Yes, sir… _Mr. Grayson_," she cooed mockingly, as Sarah and TJ giggled next to her.

By the end of the class, Anna had to admit her brother taught a very engaging class. Although she always knew Eric was very knowledgeable, she was amazed at how easily he took and answered all the questions put to him by the other students around her. Finally, the bell rang, announcing the end of their hour together.

"What… already?" Eric said, sounding surprised and looking down at his watch; he had been enjoying their discussion about the proper way in which to handle the American _bowtruckle_.

"All right then — good class, everyone. Homework: Please finish reading chapter one in your text and be prepared to discuss the danger ratings given to some of the magical creatures by the Department for the Regulation and Control for Magical Creatures. Pay close attention to the creatures with poisons. You can expect a quiz on the subject within the next three days. That is all, you're dismissed."

Anna immediately got up and headed to the front. "Eric… why didn't you tell me you would be teaching?"

Her brother laughed. "Because I was looking forward to seeing the look on your face when you walked into my class." He stopped to smile at her. "You were a sight."

"I thought the class was very good, Eric. Oh… I mean… Mr. Grayson," Sarah said shyly.

"Thank you, Miss Bell. That's very nice of you say."

"Anna… you should tell yer brother about the gimp," TJ whispered to her furtively.

Anna agreed and took Eric aside as the rest of the students filed out. She told him about the man she followed in the city, how she found this hiding place, and then about the baby dragon she had taken from the old house.

Eric was ashen faced by the time she finished telling him what had happened.

"Anna… what were you thinking? You could have been killed! You don't know what these men would have done if they had caught you spying on them… and then breaking into the house?"

"But they were going to kill him, Eric. I heard them talking about it through the window."

Eric gritted his teeth. The internal struggle between the things that defined him as a Guardian was at odds with the fear he felt for his sister. He placed his hands on Anna's shoulders.

"Listen… I understand why you did it, but you can't do these things alone. You're too young — too vulnerable. Anna, anything could have happened."

"Okay — okay, I get it. So now what?"

Eric took his first full breath in five minutes and then resigned himself to only hope his sister was listening to his warnings. "How's the dragon doing?" he finally asked her and he watched as her face brightened.

"Oh… he's doing great! He's eating so much better now. I'm going in to check on him between classes when I can." Her brother looked at her sympathetically and her face fell. "I know I can't keep him, Eric. What do you think will happen to him?"

"I think it best you turn him over to me outside the grounds tonight before we go to Hayman with the story. I think it makes better since to say you turned the dragon over to the Care of Magical Creatures instructor than to admit you smuggled him into the castle. We don't need to give Dunning a reason to suspend you."

TWO

The next day, Lieutenant Mantos gave a signal and several Crimson Guards began rushing forward into an alleyway. Simultaneously, no less than six guards on brooms and doors shot forward into a predetermined and watchful position overhead. Their wands drawn, the guards on the ground stopped to glance around the corner and then, in pairs of two, they moved with military precision onto the next street. More guards now flooded into the alleyway from the opposite end, as the civilians stopped to stare in awl at the tremendous show of force.

They moved together from both sides of the alley and then down from the sky, converging on an open gap set between two dilapidated row houses. His men were set. Lieutenant Mantos strode bravely down the middle of the alley smiling broadly. Nobody would exit the street now without their knowledge or permission. Mantos stopped in front of the open gap and sneered. He had been waiting a long time for this moment. The smugglers he was about to capture represented the only blemish on his otherwise perfect record of security in the city of Spellsburg. This was finally his chance to wipe away this lawless scourge from the city entirely. Although he was completely mystified as to how a student from Castlewood was able to find this secret location when he and his men could not, in that moment the lieutenant of Spellsburg didn't care. These questions would have their answers soon enough. For now, it was fine enough to know… the leader of the smugglers within the Shadowed Forest would be sleeping in a dungeon cell by nightfall.

Mantos slowly removed a piece of parchment from his picket and motioned a dozen other guards around him in a circle. Together, they read from a note a student named Anna Grayson had provided to them.

_The hideout of the smuggler's leader is _

_located within the gap at number 13 Old-Way Lane._

Their heads rose as one after reading the note. The house on the left of the gap had a number eleven over its door, the house on the right — the number fifteen. They stared into the gap, concentrating on what was on the note.

And all at once, number thirteen rose up from out of the mud before them, growing to fill the gap entirely. When the steps of the porch attached themselves to the broken sidewalk, Lieutenant Mantos smiled.

"Thank you, Anna Grayson… whoever you are." The other guards looked at him in amazement.

"Go!" he yelped, and they all scrambled forward, taking positions under the building's windows and doors. The other guards observing in the alley and overhead had their wands drawn and watched in astonishment as their comrades vanished one-by-one into the empty gap in front of them. They couldn't hear the crashing door, or the yelling within, as several more guards moved forward and then suddenly disappeared.

Thirty minutes later, Eric and Captain Hayman were standing outside number thirteen, talking to Lieutenant Mantos.

"The house was abandoned, Captain. It looks like our man must have cleared out quickly after he realized somebody had broken in to steal the dragon."

"Very good; give your men the all clear and a job well-done for me," Hayman replied. He could see the disappointment on his friend's face. He stepped in to put a reassuring hand on his lieutenant's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tom, we'll get him. It's only a matter of time now. We know what he looks like, we know what they're stealing from the forest, and now your men have taken out his headquarters. We'll have him soon enough."

Mantos looked unappeased. "Yeah, I know. I just wish it'd been today."

He gave a wave to his men on the street and then overhead and they slowly began to move away through the crowds of citizens who had gathered on both ends of the alley to watch. The lieutenant then turned back to Eric.

"So we have a new name to add to our list of suspects now… might even be the ring-leader. Your sister mentioned, 'The _Collector'_?" He cocked his head to the side. "Mean anything to you?"

Eric shook his head and Mantos looked at Hayman with a raised eyebrow. "You know… Dunning would have probably fired me for this failure."

Hayman smiled and gripped his friend's shoulder again. "A different time… and different leadership. I think we have better tactics today. Go be with your men, Tom."

As Mantos moved off, Hayman turned to Eric. "Walk with me." Together they moved away from the other guards. "So… how is your new ward doing?"

"Remarkably well, considering what the dragon's been through. I think he'll make it."

"Have you given any thought to what you're going to do with it? I mean, you know it's illegal to keep it in the city."

Eric nodded in agreement. "I'd like to get it back to where it came from."

Hayman's jaw dropped. "In the Shadowed Forest? Not a chance, my friend. It would take every man I have just to find the _Dragon's Lair_. Until today, I thought the lair nothing more than a legend — a myth. Nobody knows where the lair is and it would take months to find it; not to mention the untold number of lives we would lose during the search."

The captain shook his head. "No, my friend; looking for the lair in those woods is out of the question. It's lives-lost-per-mile in that forest. Our only hope is to catch Anna's limping-man and get him to tell us exactly where the place is, and even then… I'm not sure I'd risk the lives of my men to talk it back."

There was a pause between the two men before Hayman looked around cautiously and then lowered his voice. "So… when are you going to tell me how Anna did this?" His question was casual, but wanting.

Eric looked at him and then tried to steal some measure of innocence. "I don't know what do you mean?"

"Don't give me that, Eric. You know exactly what I mean. How did Anna become the Secret Keeper to this place?"

Eric stared at his friend and then shrugged. "She said she overheard the limping-man talking to his partner on the street somewhere; heard him telling the other where the house was located."

Hayman's expression turned cold. "That's not how it works, Eric, and deceit is not a strong enough skill you possess. You must think me a complete idiot to make your lies so transparent," he blurted out, banging his finger into his friend's chest. "I might be dense, but I'm not that thin."

The captain looked around cautiously again and then pulled Eric away. "We both know there's something different… about your sister. The first Guardian in more that fifteen centuries? And then she brought that Threstral out of his invisible despair last year, the way she's advanced through the dueling club, and then finding that Muggle in the Shadowed Forest a few months ago. I've seen the way the elves fawn over her in the castle, not to mention her closeness to Trog." Hayman turned to look back at the limping-man's house. "And now this." He glared back at Eric and then cautiously around them. "I also know… Voldemort is back!"

Eric was at first surprised by Hayman's declaration and then he smiled. "You'd better keep your voice down, John. I hear it doesn't do a man's career any good to repeat such things. Besides, nobody around here believes the coming of the Guardians has anything to do with _You-Know-Who_…or the stories of his return. Where would you ever get an idea like that?"

Hayman sneered. "I can read, Eric, and I'm not one for ignoring the signs." He stepped in. "So take this warning back to your sister: If she _ever_ pulls a stunt like this again, I'll expel her with the Chancellor's blessing. If Anna is what I think she is, then she's too important to get herself killed breaking into the house of some a two-bit criminal."

Eric was taken aback at first and then he reached out to put his hands on Hayman's shoulders. "I'll deliver your message — with all the ferocity a terrified brother can muster. And thank you… for seeking the truth in these things."

Hayman gripped Eric by the wrist and nodded. "You just remember what I said about my sending her home. I _will_ expel her — if that's what it takes to keep her safe." The captain turned to walk away, but was still looking back at Eric when he said, "And I'll send that bloody Vipertooth home with her."

THREE

The following Monday, Anna was sitting with the rest of the Guardians in a new classroom built within the Guardian Hall. From the animated talk going on around her, she was sure she wasn't the only one excited about Castlewood's very first Care of Magical Objects class. But her mind was troubled and unfocused; she was thinking about her visit with the Minister of Magic.

_I will be naming somebody within the Ministry to manage this new Guardian sect at Castlewood__. __You will be closely monitored._

Anna was sure the Minister intended to control the movement and actions of all the Guardians and Qwaad was right out of the Minister's front office. She was suddenly sure this class wasn't going to be what her fellow Guardians expected.

"How was your distension with Van Doorn on Saturday, Anna?" asked a second year Guardian Heather Thomas.

Anna scoffed. "She had me cleaning out the fires in her office."

The girl smiled. "Well… that's not too bad."

Anna looked at her and sneered. "Without my wand."

"Oh my…"

The door opened and Professor Bartholomaeus Qwaad marched in and sat his dragon skin bag down on the desk. He quickly took the roll and then came around his desk to sit on its front. He stared at them appraisingly before reaching back to gather a stack of parchment from his bag.

"Good morning. My name is Professor Qwaad, and I'm going to ask each of you to fill out one these registration forms from Ministry of Magic." With a flick of his wand, he made the parchment fly into the air and onto each of their desks. Anna quickly noticed each of their names was already printed on the top. "Please fill in all of the blanks as accurately as you possibly can, and I'd like you to pay close attention to the questions printed for you at the bottom of the parchment. If you need addition rolls to give a fully-formed answer then it will be provided to you."

Anna read through the parchment quickly, which was embossed with a very official looking Ministry stamp at the top. It wanted her parents' name, their home address, the names of any brothers or sisters, if any members of their family worked for the Ministry of Magic and, if so, in what capacity. They wanted their genealogy and ancestry filled out on a pre-printed family tree on a separate page. At the bottom of the page, there was a list of questions and a number of blank lines below each, hinting at the thoroughness of which they expected their answers. Anna felt the coldness of the Lethifold spark in the center of her chest before she realized what had caused it to turn inside her; she was angry.

Anna looked around at her fellow Guardians expecting to see them working hard on their forms, but to her great surprise, nobody was writing. Some were still reading through the pages of the parchment with furrowed brows while others were looking about, seeking eye contact around them. TJ had her arms crossed, defiantly staring back at their teacher at the head of the class. After some time had passed without the expected scratching of quills, Professor Qwaad looked up from his chair and smiled.

"What's the problem – why aren't you writing? The faster we get through the forms, the faster we can move on."

His question was met with silence, except for a few more students who crossed their arms in obvious rebellion. Their reaction didn't seem to come as a surprise to their teacher at all. He casually fell back into his chair and took up the roster again.

"Gabriel Laroche… where are you?"

The Guardian Knight was sitting in the front row. She watchfully raised her hand.

"Ah… a Knight, excellent! It's a privilege to have someone with you obvious talents in my class," Qwaad gushed.

He stood to come around his desk and looked down at the blank parchment sitting in front of the girl. "Tell me… why haven't you started filling out the Ministry forms as I've requested? I've never heard of a Knight being uncooperative with a teacher in this school before now." His voice suddenly hardened. "Explain yourself!"

Gabriel looked surprised by Qwaad's severe tone. She straightened, suddenly aware there might be some unexpected reprisals for her actions. "It's not that I'm trying to be uncooperative, Professor… it's just that…"

"Yes?"

"I guess I just don't understand why the Ministry of Magic would request this kind of information from us. I'm a seventh-year, sir, and I've never had this kind of personal information asked of me by a teacher before now. Is this really necessary?"

Qwaad stared at her for a time before looking around the room at the rest of the class. He could see several other students now folding their arms in agreement. Their teacher smiled.

"Isn't it enough to know the Ministry of Magic has taken an important interest in the future of this curriculum and its students? The documents are nothing… if not the trifle supervision of your future studies. It's nothing more than what you should expect from any member of the Chancellor's staff seeking to guide you."

"But sir," Gabriel countered, "this doesn't come from the Chancellor's office, but from the Ministry of Magic. Does Professor Thordarson know about this questionnaire? Has he approved our having to fill it out? What is the reason…?"

"The needs of the Ministry of Magic are far more important than those of any single teacher, even if that teacher happens to be the Chancellor of Castlewood. You will fill out the given forms." Qwaad's tone was now much more demanding. He looked down at his roster once more.

"Where is… Miss Sarah Bell?"

Anna looked next to her and found Sarah timidly raising her hand.

"Ah… thank you, Miss Bell," Qwaad gushed again. He came forward and looked down at Sarah's untouched parchment in front of her.

"Why haven't you filled out the questionnaire as I asked?"

Anna found herself pulling for Sarah, praying she wouldn't immediately pick up the quill and begin writing in frightened response.

"I…" Sarah stammered inaudibly, "think I'll… have to get permission from my parents to give this kind of private information to the Ministry of Magic… sir."

Anna smiled. Sarah's answer might have sounded frail, but it was perfection. Anna glared back at Professor Qwaad, who seemed very surprised by the answer given him. He looked down again at his roster.

"Tanya Wangstaff…" Qwaad looked up. "Where are you?" TJ's hand immediately shot into the air on Anna's other side. Their teacher walked over to her desk and lifted the parchment in front of her. He looked at the blank pages and then fixed an angry stare down at TJ.

"Well…? What's your excuse for disobeying me?"

"The name's Tanya-Joe," TJ answered.

"What?"

"I said, m'name is Tanya-Joe; not Tanya… it's Tanya-Joe," TJ snapped back. "My daddy'd sock ya in the mouth for tryin'ta change ma' given name. It'd be like callin' you Professor Qwack." There was the soft sound of snickering going off around them and Anna held her breath, but to everybody's surprise, Qwaad smiled.

"All right then, my apologies to your father… Tanya-Joe. So tell me, why aren't you writing?"

TJ frowned again. "Well… it's like Sarah said. Seems like the Ministry is pokin' their busy-body nose into something they shouldn't. I'd have to default to my daddy on somethin' like this as well."

Qwaad stared at her appraisingly and then turned to Anna. He looked down at her blank document as well, collected it up, and then returned to his desk. He seemed to be deep in thought, lost at what to do next. He finally turned and nodded.

"It would seem that some of the Ministry's concerns about a rebellious new Guardian Hall are not completely unfounded. I shall inform the Ministry of your unwillingness to comply. In the meantime, we shall carry on." He turned to stuff the forms into his bag.

"By the way, Miss Wangstaff, I'm putting you in detention." Everybody turned to look at TJ in shocked surprise.

"What!?" TJ shot back. "What fer?"

"For your disrespect and cheekiness." He looked at Gabriel. "I'm also putting you in detention as well, Guardian Knight… for you insubordination when I should have had your partnered leadership in this matter."

Gabriel first looked surprised and then settled back once more. "Yes, sir. If you think that's fair, I will inform the Student President of my detention. I'm sure she will be most disappointed. I don't think there's ever been a Knight put in detention before now."

"I should hope not, but she won't be half as disappointed in you as I am right now."

Professor Qwaad then left the room and then returned a moment later pushing a large-canvas roller bin through the door. The students could hear the sound of metal clanking and clinking within the swaying bin as he moved to the front and stopped.

"I'd like each of you to come up here and take one object from the cart and then return to your seats please. That is, of course, unless you feel it necessary to ignore another one of my requests."

A hint of returning excitement followed the students as they stood, expecting to find an amazing assortment of magical objects within the bin. What they found instead was the most unassuming array of stacked plates, goblets and a box of tarnished silverware to the side.

"What's this?" asked a first-year student, holding up one of the utensils.

"That, Mister Borjg… is a fork. Take a box of silver back to your seat, if you please… quickly now." He looked at the rest of the Guardians staring into the cart. "Well… what are you waiting for? Take a box or a plate. Move along."

They did as they were told and then quietly returned to their seats.

"Maybe we're going to place a spell on them or try and transfigure them," Gwen said hopefully, turning her plate around to inspect the back. Anna was skeptical.

Qwaad then reached deep into the cart to pull out a wooden box. "I'd like each of you to take a cloth and a jar as the box comes around to you." Once again the Guardians were confused, but did as they were told. "The jar contains a mild polish. You will follow these directions to clean and polish the silver in your possession." He waved his wand at the blackboard and words suddenly appeared there.

There was stunned silence as everybody stared back at the teacher.

"Polish the silver? But...I thought we were here to study magical objects," complained a sixth-year boy in the front row.

Professor Qwaad looked up and smiled. "That is correct. This class is _The Care_ of Magical Objects." He stopped to survey them, expecting this pronouncement to explain everything. When it didn't, he stepped forward to say, "Well you can't expect to care for something magically important until you can convince me you can follow the simplest of instructions given to you."

He turned to retreat behind his desk where he promptly sat down. He then opened his bag to remove an apple, put his feet unceremoniously up on his desk, and then took a sloppy bite. "Well… what are you waiting for, Guardians, carry on. Make it shine!" He smiled evilly at them as he took another bite.

FOUR

An unheard symphony was playing in obscurity. The place from which they were performing was dark and cold, even though the temperature outside was a balmy seventy degrees. A woman was kneeling alone on a bench in the darkness, whispering a prayer. Her petitions to God could be heard echoing against the stone walls inside the Grayson chapel.

"Help me find her, Lord, I beg you. Give me the wisdom to know where else to look."

Edith Porchdow was stooped in solemn prayer. Desperate to leave no stone unturned in her continuing search for the vessel holding her friend Leola Grayson, her determination had lead her to the place where Anna had said she might find the help she needed.

She had entered the chapel, half buried in the mossy hillside, nearly two hours ago, but still, she wasn't sure why she was there. Although her first and most obvious impulse was to kneel and pray to God for what she needed, she was suspicious of Anna's advice. Her suggestion to come to the chapel seemed to hint at something less than the divine and, perhaps, better aligned with the news of her becoming a Guardian. _But what else does one do when entering the house of God?_ She looked around and decided to pray for whatever Anna had offered to her. _But what was it she was supposed to find here?_

There were other whispers within the chapel as well, the voices of magic trying desperately to reach out to one of their own, to the Guardian now seeking help from the Creator of all. The voices screamed out, but their connection with this one was not as it was with the Sithmaith. It was like trying to pluck the right chord from an infinite number of symphonic strings. They strummed and cried out to her, trying to speak to the Guardian sharing their space.

_We have news of the Alley. Listen to the sound of our voice, Guardian._

"Please, God…. help me find my friend. Help me stop her suffering."

_Hear us, Guardian. We have news._

"Where can Leola be? I've searched everywhere – the woods, the estate, the stalls, the old Jennings' ruins. I'm sure she's not there. Where else should I look? Please, Lord, help me."

_Hear us, Guardian. Hear our voice._

And then, it happened. Perhaps it was God's personal intervention in all things inspired by goodness that finally connected the two bridges, which up to that time seemed heading in different directions. Perhaps it was just the inevitably that magic would finally pluck the proper note within the abundant repertoire of symphonies they had already performed before the kneeling woman.

_Hear us, Guardian._

Edith Porchdow opened her eyes and looked up. Was that a voice she heard? No… more like a crowd of voices.

_Hear us, Guardian!_

"I… hear you… who are you?"

_We are the voices of enchantment, they who would seek the help of one of our own, a protector of magic._

Although the woman could hear some part of them, their voices were like a wireless falling out of tune; something the Muggles might call a terrible connection. She listened hard as the crowd whined and faded, every fifth syllable breaking its way through the static between them.

"What? I don't understand you."

Then it suddenly dawned on her why she was there. This is what Anna wanted her to find. She wanted her to hear these voices, they who call themselves magic. Edith Porchdow suddenly became desperate.

"Do you know where I can find Leola Grayson? Do you know where she is?"

The woman was now standing, looking not at the altar or the cross of gold behind it, but at the stone walls surrounding her. The voices were fading now, falling away like a sudden breeze stealing autumn's last leaf. The gentle harmony was changing, moving to a new chord and away from the one connecting them, never to be found again.

Please... can you help me?"

Two words made it through the buzz that was now completely gone.

… _the beaches._

Three thousand miles away, Anna Grayson was several hours into a dreamless sleep when several voices reached across the void between her subconscious and wherever the mind travels to find peace and rest. Never waking, her face broke into a weak smile.

_The Alley knows. She is aware that we are searching for her. Faith is reborn… and sorrows bartered for hope._

FIVE

There was a sharp crack, a flash of bright light, and then a man stood alone in the center of a flat plain of tundra; a vast, treeless desert of yellowed grass and mud. He had arrived with his wand out and a heavy cloak draped about his shoulders. Still, the September cold in this isolated place surprised him. He slowly turned to find a jet of black rock silhouetted against the clear, star laden sky about a mile away. The man moaned miserably, raised his collar, and then set off toward the midnight moon hanging low and bright over the distant mount. As cold as the night air was on his ungloved hands, his wand remained in plain sight.

It took the man nearly forty minutes to cover the muddy distance in the cold. He was sure this was the hiding place of the person he was seeking, but even in this miserable and desolate spot, manners had their place. Only an enemy would have come directly to the front door of a wizard in hiding. Those coming for a visit without evil intent would allow their presence to be known well in advance. Still, the walk would tire him and the cold would stiffen his muscles, a dangerous combination if a fight were to become necessary. But that was his quarry's plan all along, wasn't it? To make him tired and cold before meeting him face to face.

The man stopped before an open cave set in the bottom of the rock. His eyes scanned the site for the usual traps and he was surprised to find none. Obviously, he _was_ expected.

"Igor… I am here." The wind howled and the cave seemed to moan eerily in response. There was no reply. "I'm coming in." The man entered the cave to find a hole and a silver ladder leading down into darkness.

"Igor?"

The man scoffed. Another well laid trap meant for those with aggressive and dangerous purposes. The trip down would require stowing his wand. _Fine_, he thought angrily to himself, _whatever it takes to put this trip behind me. _He pocketed his wand and thenreluctantly headed down the ladder.

It took another five minutes to reach the bottom of the cave, which surprised him when he finally touched down. He set his feet, turned, and then raised his wand again.

"Igor Kakaroff! Where are you?" No response. _"Lumos!" _The wand did not light. _Blast the man and his brother the devil!_

"I got your message and I came as you requested. What do you want?"

A whisper finally broke the silence somewhere deep in the cave in front of him. "Boris Grayson… my old friend."

A match popped, illuminating a man's head in the distant darkness. The man called Kakaroff looked gaunt and sallow, his eyes sunken and ringed in sleepless black. The head seemed to float through the air before disappearing again as the match traveled down to a small desk. There was a heavy clunk of glass and a lamp suddenly set the darkness aside.

Mister Grayson looked around at the abysmal conditions surrounding the two of them. "Nice place you have here, but I can recommend a better decorator."

Kakaroff grinned. "Not all of us can live safe and happy in a family mansion, Boris. As you can plainly see, I've had to do away with a few amenities while in hiding," the man answered in a deep eastern accent.

"In hiding, Igor? And why would that be? Don't tell me you believe all those rumors about Voldemort's return?"

Kakaroff scowled at the name. "You take too many risks with your life, Boris. You always did. Saying the Dark Lord's name aloud can be dangerous… even here in my cave of quiet solitude. Do you not know the old Russian saying: _Even_ _the rats have ears in which to hear you?_"

"Enough of this, Igor… what is it you want? I didn't come all this way to banter with you again. Those games never gave me the pleasure they did you."

Kakaroff smiled. "A pity; I always considered you a worthy opponent." He suddenly turned solemn. "I have asked you to come here… so that I may repay my debt to you."

Mister Grayson's face darkened. "If… I remember correctly, the payment of all debts in your culture is usually a prelude to death, Igor. Your cave seems secure enough to me."

The man flashed an evil grin, and then pulled his sleeve up to show the Dark Mark branded into his chalk white skin. "The Dark Lord is closing in. My time is short." He poked at the blackened burn upon his skin and then watched as the snake rose up to hiss and strike at his finger. The man laughed maliciously. "My pet does not seem to like me now, no?" He lowered his arm and then glared back at Boris.

"I never repaid you for getting me out of Azkaban."

Mister Grayson looked like a man unfairly accused of a high crime. "I didn't have anything to do with that! I only came to you at Dumbledore's request, because he needed some of your memories about Voldemort's past."

Kakaroff sneered at hearing the Dark Lord's name again. "Please… not in my hiding place. Remember… the rats," he said, motioning into the darkness behind them. He reached down to pour some wine and then handed a cup to his guest.

"No, thank you."

Kakaroff shrugged before taking a sip. "It was you who convinced Crouch and the _gamut_ to grant my hearing and listen to my knowledge of the Death Eaters. I say a debt is owed. Honor must be served."

"Honor is a gift a man gives to himself, Igor. You sold yours away when you took that brand," Mister Grayson admonished him. He looked around at the dreary cave again and then heaved resignedly. "But if you must… then fine. What is it you have to tell me?"

Kakaroff took another sip of this wine and then, "News has come to me that the Dark Lord has taken an interest in the Guardians of Castlewood." Mister Grayson's eyes widened. "More than that… _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_, _not-even-in-my-cave_, is seeking information about," he hesitated, "one of your daughters. I believe her name is…"

"Anna!" Mister Grayson interrupted, and Kakaroff smiled as he lifted the cup to take another drink.

"I do not know what draws him to one so young on the other side of the world… but be warned… he would have her if given the opportunity."

Mister Grayson began to sway as his legs weakened. "Perhaps… I'll have that drink after all," he groaned.

Kakaroff smiled again. "I thought you might." He handed a goblet to his guest and poured. "I have more to tell you."

Mister Grayson took an unsteady drink and then lowered the cup. "What more?"

"The Dark Lord is sending a _Death Eater_ to take the girl from Spellsburg if it can be done… or," he refilled Grayson's cup, "kill her if not."

Boris Grayson swayed ominously and then grabbed a chair to sit. "Who is this _Death Eater_ you speak of?" he asked, holding his breath as he waited for an answer.

"I do not know. I only heard… it will be somebody your daughter trusts."

The cup he was holding spilled to the dirt floor as Mister Grayson's head fell into his hands. His worse fears were realized. Voldemort was after Anna and he knew whom he would send to take her. There was only one _Death Eater_ that Anna would trust; only one known follower of Voldemort Anna would allow to come close; her mother Victoria.

Grayson rose to stand, his entire body racked with terror. "Thank you, Igor. Whatever debt you believe you owe me… _has_ been paid in full."

The sallow-faced Kakaroff bowed. "Then… I must ask you now to leave my hiding place, Boris." He motioned him toward the silver ladder behind him. Mister Grayson nodded and turned to leave.

Twenty minutes later, Boris Grayson was well away from the cave and heading toward the open tundra again, his body shaking with fear. It was a new experience for him, because unlike so many others in the wizarding world, Boris never feared Voldemort before that day. He felt the worst thing that could happen to him was death, but to be killed fighting evil always gave him the calming assurance to know that heaven would be his reward. Now, however, dread was overwhelming his reason. His beloved Anna, his child, was in very great danger.

Igor Kakaroff watched the man walk a good distance away before seeing the flash of light that would take his visitor home again. He looked up at the very full moon.

"All my debts… are now paid," the man declared with a heavy voice, and the wind moaned eerily in reply. He then turned reluctantly to descend the ladder into the pit again and that was the last anybody ever saw of Igor Kakaroff.

122


	12. Chapter 10 - Not a Rat

Chapter 10D10

Chapter 10 (Draft 10)

Not a Rat

ONE

The Care of Magical Objects class was a rude disappointment to the Guardians. They continued to clean the castle silver, day after long day, week after week, until the canvas bin was empty of all its _magical treasures_. Afterward, there was some short-lived excitement the end of their cleaning tasks might bring something a little more exciting to the class. Unfortunately, a second bin replaced the first filled to the top with pewter objects of armor, which again their teacher expected them to clean. All the time, Qwaad sat with his legs up on his desk, eating his apples, and reading the latest news from the _Spellsburg_ _Seer_.

It turned out their Care of Magic Places class was just as useless. It consisted of the Guardians traveling about the castle in single file behind Qwaad and cleaning random hallways and unoccupied classes. Passing students could be heard snickering as they worked, and some even stooped to calling them house elves. There was only one within the castle who seemed to be really enjoying these new Guardian duties and that was Lieutenant Dunning. During their _classes_, Dunning could be found talking to Qwaad enthusiastically about his teaching methods and occasionally stopping during their many conversations to point out a missed spot of dirt on the floor that one of the Guardians had neglected.

Auror training was disappointing as well. Far from learning any new magic to protect themselves, they were told to learn the names of every Auror who had ever existed, and especially those who had been awarded special letters or metals of merit for their _heroic deeds_ in the name of the Ministry of Magic.

Very little of anything good could be said about these classes but that they only occurred once a week. This fact, however, did not stop some of the parents from protesting the treatment of their children at the hands of Professor Qwaad. Unfortunately it did nothing to solve their problems and as October gave way to November, these complaints faded into the gloom of acceptance to match the unsought of winter. Through it all, Chancellor Thordarson said nothing about the plight of the Guardians within the castle. He was immeasurable preoccupied, or so Anna tried to convince herself, with the tasks of his post and those of the Order of the Phoenix.

The only Guardian who didn't seem to mind these cleaning chores was the strange and very rude first year, Nox Yolland. Although the girl complained bitterly about nearly everything around her, she seemed to joyously throw herself into the work given them even as the fourth bin of portrait frames rolled into their class to be polished.

Eventually, the mystery of the girl's odd behavior came to light when it was learned her parents were protesting the treatment of their daughter most forcibly by writing to Professor Thordarson nearly every day. In time, Anna and Gwen came to believe the girl's enthusiasm for the work demanded of her was in direct rebellion to her parent's efforts to stop what was happening.

"She's a loon, that one," Gwen whispered, as they continued to scrub the Rotunda floor with boar-brushes and pails of soapy water to the dismay of the resident house elves. "She acts like this is fun."

Anna looked back at the girl, who was whistling enthusiastically while she scrubbed. "Yeah… she's got some serious parent issues, to be sure."

"Who cares; I just wish she'd stop that stupid noise." Gwen looked back. "Hey! Would you mind knocking off the whistling?"

The girl stopped her happy back and forth motion for a moment to look up at Gwen. She grinned evilly, and then began to whistle louder as she returned to her portion of the floor.

Gwen was furious. "I said — knock it off!"

The girl continued unabated, turning up the volume more again.

"That's it — I've had it with that little horror!" Gwen yelped, slamming her brush down on the floor before rising to stand.

Anna reached over to stop her. "Leave her alone, Gwen. Can't you see she's just being an idiot?"

Gwen wasn't listening. She stormed over to the girl still working on her knees.

"Hey you — first-year! I said stop that!"

The girl ignored her.

"I said SHUT IT!" Gwen demanded, kicking the girl's brush out of her hand. The Yolland girl suddenly leapt to her feet and immediately shoved Gwen hard to the floor. A second later the girl was on top of Gwen, screaming at the top of her lungs and pelting her with punches.

Anna rushed forward to grab the girl's arms as Gwen pushed her back. "Get off of me you lunatic!"

The girl fell back and then stretched forward to kick at Gwen again. Anna grabbed the girl from behind as Gwen got to her feet. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The girl struggled against Anna, seething with what seemed like blood in her eyes for Gwen.

"Calm down!" Anna warned the struggling girl, who had now taken to stomping at Anna's feet behind her.

"Get off me!" the girl screamed.

"Not until you calm down."

"Get off!"

"Stop it!"

"What's all this?" yelled Professor Qwaad, who had just entered the room with Lieutenant Dunning hot on his heels.

"Fighting, Grayson?"

"No!" Anna yelped, immediately releasing the girl and holding up her hands.

Freed at last, Nox immediately turned on Anna. Grabbing her by the hair she shoved Anna backward and they fell to the floor together. Rolling over and over, the wild first-year began punching every part of Anna she could find while the rest of the class stood watching them in amazement. Professor Qwaad and Captain Dunning did nothing to stop the battle.

"Leave it to Grayson to pick a fight with another student three years younger than herself," Dunning said with a sneer, crossing his arms indignantly to watch the two girls rolling across the wet floor.

"Yes… so it would seem," Qwaad replied coolly. "Is it common for the Graysons to display this level of depravity?"

Dunning smiled. "It's been my experience that you'll find this one to be the worst of the Grayson lot."

"_Humph_… I see. I'll have to keep that in mind.

"Professor Qwaad!" the Guardian Knight Laroche yelled, pointing down at Anna who had finally managed to pin the thrashing girl beneath her.

"Well… I suppose we should stop them," Qwaad said, almost uncaringly.

"Allow me…"

"By all means…"

"No!" Gwen yelled, as Dunning suddenly whipped out his wand and thrust it forward. There was a flash and a bolt of light that hit Anna square in the back. There was a whirl of spinning radiance as Anna's body shrank and changed itself into that of a squeaking rat.

Stunned for a moment at the sight of her foe sitting on her chest as a rat, Nox leapt to her feet and began to stomp down at the now fleeing rodent.

"Stop her," Gwen yelled, and two others in the class moved forward to her grab the girl and stop her from attacking Anna.

Qwaad looked over at Dunning. "Good one — although I would have preferred something without legs in which to run."

Dunning smiled as he watched Anna jump into one of the buckets of soapy water. He stooped low before the now wet and shivering rat struggling to keep herself from drowning.

"So… how does it feel to you, Grayson, to be picked on by somebody so much bigger than you?" Anna could only reply with a teeth chattering squeak.

"I think this look suits you, Grayson. Maybe I'll have you cleaning all the rat traps in the castle during your detention." He stared evilly into Anna's eyes and smirked.

Then he watched in surprise as her eyes began to change from a vivid green to jet-black. Her teeth we're suddenly bared, and then fanged, and then the booming roar of a lion bellowed forth from her tiny body to blow Dunning backward to his back. He looked down at his feet in astonishment to see the rat changing as it flopped out of the bucket. Growing larger by the second, its head began to push pointed horns out its skull and the fur on its face was changing to copper colored scales. Her body lengthened until she stood above Dunning, a terrible mixture of a rat and something reptilian struggling to come forward.

Finally, there was a flash of light and Anna stood wet and shivering in her robes. Her eyes were liquid back as she glared down at the lieutenant still lying at her feet.

"I'm not a rat!" Anna screamed angrily.

Lieutenant Dunning scrambled to his feet and then looked down disbelievingly at his wand.

"You will serve detention, Miss Grayson," Qwaad announced quietly as the bell in the hallway rang out. "In my office Saturday night, you and your little boxing buddy both," he added. The first year Nox Yolland stood with the rest of the class staring at Anna in utter disbelief.

"Stow the brushes and buckets in the closet, please. You're dismissed."

As the class slowly gathered their bags and headed out, they were looking back at Anna as if for the very first time.

When they were in the hallway, Gwen raised her wand, _"Fervesco."_ A stream of hot air began to blow from her wand, which she used to dry Anna's robes.

"How in the world did you do that?" asked Gabriel.

"Do what?" Anna replied; her teeth were still chattering uncontrollably.

"Break Dunning's transfiguration spell… how did you do it?" Some of the other Guardians were now gathered around them as well, including the Yolland girl who looked just as surprised as anybody.

"I dunno… I just kept saying to myself, I'm not a rat."

"That was bloody brilliant… you blowing Dunning on his butt like that," laughed another fifth-year.

"Yeah — but while you was changin' back, it looked like you took'a side turn on the trail'ta change into that pet dragon of yers," TJ added with a chuckle.

"You have a pet dragon?" yelped another third-year.

"All right," Gwen said loudly, cutting the conversation short. "I think we're done here." She lifted her wand away from Anna's robes and looked back at Nox. "And you! You need to stop acting the ass before you get yourself and everybody else expelled!"

The girl looked taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

Gwen looked at rest of the Guardians in surprise. "What am I talking about? I'm talking about you rolling around on the floor, attacking everybody at the slightest provocation, that's what!"

The girl smiled evilly. "It was a pretty good fight, ay?" And to everybody's surprise, the girl turned and walked away. Halfway down the corridor, they could hear her whistling again.

Gwen was left open-mouthed.

TJ shook her head. "That girl's crazier than an outhouse rat." She quickly looked over at Anna who was scowling at her. "No offense."

TWO

A few days later, Anna and Gwen were heading to Slalom Stadium. Although she wasn't allowed to do anything more than practice in her first year, Anna was hopeful she would be permitted to compete in this her second year. She moved excitedly across the plateau with her new flying door under her arm.

The two girls entered the stadium to find a number of eager racers mingling together in the center of the field.

"Wow there's a lot more people than there was last year," Anna observed worriedly.

Gwen wasn't paying attention. "Look, they have the pixies out today." She was pointing to a stack of crates tucked into the side of the stands. She trotted over to the bamboo cages filled with small, blue creatures with buzzing wings.

Anna followed and then smiled at the Pixies. "Hello there, Blue-Dish," she cooed, looking at one of the creatures and the nameplate above her cage. She stuck her finger between the bars and watched the creature move away. "I'm not going to hurt you, girl; come over here."

"Girl?" Gwen laughed, frowning into the cage next to her. "How do you know it's a girl?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't know; she just looks like a girl to me."

There came a growl from the far end of the cages and the two looked over to find another pixie cringing in the corner of his pin. A third was reaching through the bars toward the other, snarling maliciously.

"Hey," Anna called out, "leave him alone!" The pixie pulled his arm back with a look of surprise.

"Oh, Anna… look; you scared him. I think he was only playing with the other one."

Gwen walked over to the cage containing the attacking pixie, and to Anna's surprise she poked a finger between the bars in an attempt to coax the little creature toward her.

Anna yanked her back just in time as the pixie lunged forward with its teeth bared at Gwen's hand; it was snapping and snarling madly.

"What the hell?" Gwen said disbelievingly. "If you hadn't pulled me back, he might have taken my fingers off." She slammed the cage with her fist where the pixie was now chewing at the bars. "You little monster! I need these fingers to play the piano." The pixie giggled maliciously and then crossed his eyes mockingly at her before turning his gaze up at Anna.

Anna was glaring back at him with a deep, almost penetrating stare. The pixie took a deep breath and then seemed to turn away, but then rushed forward at the bars again, snarling and showing his sharp teeth. Anna never flinched, but came forward in reply, showing her own teeth and blackened eyes. She hit the bars of the cage with her head and let out a deep growl of challenging anger.

The pixie flew backward against the opposite wall of the cage and then fell into a rage. He began buzzing around in his enclosure, picking up his bedding and throwing it against the sides. He grabbed his water dish, bit it, and then threw it over his shoulder in a fury. Anna continued to watch him closely, her face pushed angrily into the bars, her teeth dripping with spit. Gwen pulled her back.

"Get back, Anna. He's gonna take your nose off."

"Tak ya noos," repeated the creature within the cage.

Anna scowled back at him. "Mowgawk," she growled under her breath.

Gwen looked up to see the placard above the cage. "Mowgawk? What the hell kind of name is that?"

The pixie was still glaring at Anna from the back of his cage. "Moo-gak," the thing screamed back. "Moo-gak, Moo-gak, Moo-gak… tak ya noos. Heh-heh-heh." He threw the water dish at her again.

Anna looked at Gwen and then smiled coyly. "Nasty little cuss, in't he?" She looked left and right at the other pixies in the surrounding cages. They were cringing in fear of the now barking and howling Mowgawk.

The girls headed to the center of the stadium where they could see a safety net had been stretched below those flying on their doors overhead. The flyers were chasing each other as they weaved over, under, and around several floating poles suspended in midair, as the students below watched the fliers in awe. Gwen moved to the bleachers as Anna moved to join the group.

"Welcome to Slalom Stadium," said one of the instructors to the group. "My name is Norris Barclay, and I think I know everybody here from last year, right? Good! Well then, welcome back to competition flying and our season's first Slalom practice. Most of you second-years received your invitation to join us at the end of last year, so this would be your first time with us. I'd like you to go with Donavan and Grayson over to the south side of the pitch. Those two got their invites at the beginning of last year after showing some promise and they've been with us ever since. They've got a year of practice under their belt already and have been instructed to take you though your practice drills today. I or one of our seventh-years will be along in a little bit to check on you."

And so… the second-years set off across the field, talking excitedly as they followed Anna and the Donavan boy.

"I see you got yourself a new door, Anna," Donavan said, as they lead the group along. What brand is it?"

Anna stopped to allow the group to catch up before laying her door flat to hover just above the ground. "Oh… it's homemade. A family friend made it for me. Isn't it wonderful?"

Donavan squatted down to take a closer look. "Wow… very impressive," he said. "How's it fly?"

Anna smiled. "I really don't know; I guess I'll find out today."

As the group gathered around them, Anna stepped onto her door and kicked off. She immediately could sense the design would favor what Mr. Barclay called Anna's awkward stance. She shot forward and immediately into a series of quick turns and then banked high to return. Braking hard with her back foot, Anna suddenly toppled forward to the ground and the group started to laugh.

"Very impressive, Grayson," Donavan said, amusedly. "Don't worry everyone… Grayson here is usually better than this on warmer days."

"Wow! What a ride," Anna replied, picking herself up quickly, and then snatching her hovering door out of the air again.

"All right… let's get started," Donavan told the group. "Anna and I have been instructed on how to get you going today, but before we do, let's go over some of the rules of Swift Slalom." He could hear several in the group begin to grumble boringly. "I know most of you probably already know the rules well enough already or you wouldn't be here, but we're doing it anyway." He moved to the center of the group.

"Swift Slalom consists of racing through the gates you see over head, which are properly called porticos. You must pass the vertical red gates on the left and the blue gates to the right. You have to fly over the green horizontal gates and under the yellow."

Anna stepped forward. "The first racer to complete three laps and pass the Cornish Pixie will be declared the winner.

Everybody in the crowd seemed to understand and were nodding excitedly.

"Like professional slalom racing, the pixies you'll be chasing will have the ability to change the color and thus the horizontal or vertical position of your gates," Donavan added. "And, of course, missing a gate or falling off your door will automatically invoke a penalty by porting you back into the center of the field.

"The standard rules apply for blocking and bumping, and the Chancellor insists there be safety nets under the gates at all times here at Castlewood. Touching of falling into the safety net will invoke another half-lap penalty as you and your door are ported back the center of the field," Anna instructed them.

"And touching a pixie can lead to immediate disqualification," Donavan said. "Oh, and by the way, some of these pixies can be extremely nasty, especially the one they call Mowgawk. Watch out for him," he warned. "That one's about as close to insane as a pixie can get." Anna smiled and nodded in agreement.

Soon the group was up and flying, chasing Anna and Donavan through the gates. Anna was very impressed with her new door. Its speed and pinpoint turns made her smile at every gate. Soon she was lapping the slower second-year riders, testing her control and speed.

Ten minutes later, a horn sounded and there was a bang below from one the pixie cages. A streak of blue shot out of an open door and a tiny pixie moved to join the race. The creature took the lead through the first turn and all the racers quickly fell in line it to give chase. Anna found herself a half lap behind everybody at the start, but immediately turned on the speed to catch the rest. One by one Anna passed the other riders, maneuvering quickly through the gates. Up ahead, she could see those closest to the winged pixie trying to pull away from Donavan who was also in hot pursuit.

As the group closed in, the pixie reached out and touched one of the gates, which instantly changed color from red to blue. Donavan had to snap his door sharply to the right to avoid missing the turn. There were flashes of light in front of him, as all the other riders who missed the gate were ported out of the race. They reappeared again in the center of the field where they quickly zoomed forward to start again.

Anna continued to move up through the crowd of doors and ducked a flying elbow that narrowly missed her cheek.

"No blocking up there without pads!" yelled Mr. Barclay below them.

Anna flew wide around another student, dove under a yellow gate, and then fell in close behind Donavan.

The pixie they were chasing was very quick, its nearly translucent wings beating furiously as it darted and weaved in an attempt to cause dysfunction behind him. To Anna, its attempts to ward off the chasing Donavan seemed feeble at best, as it changed the color of the gates almost predictably at every third turn.

Donavan quickly passed the little creature with a brilliant swooping roll over a green pole, and a second later, Anna took advantage of the pixie's wide turn to pass as well. They crossed the finish line, one and two, with Donavan pumping his fist in triumph.

Beat you again, Grayson," Donavan chimed happily, looking back at her at he straightened.

"Typical… give a guy a half-a-lap head start and he's bragging," Anna shot back.

Below, Barclay and another seventh-year stood watching them.

"Donavan and Grayson seem to be coming along all right," said the student, appraisingly.

Barclay smirked. "Never could break Grayson of that sideways stance of hers. Oh well… there's no denying they've earned their chance. Go ahead and put them on the slate for race day."

THREE

"Did you hear about Sarah's detention?"

Gwen and Anna were walking together across the plateau toward the city after slalom practice. Anna looked at her friend in surprise.

"Sarah? Detention? For… what?"

"Well… I wasn't there, but Gabriel told me she was informed of Sarah's detention for… get this… rudeness to a teacher."

Anna's mouth dropped. "Sarah Bell was rude to a teacher? No way — that's impossible. What teacher?"

"The Muggles Studies teacher, Professor Bots. From what Gabriel says, Sarah was talking to herself in class and she was starting to get kind of loud and disruptive. When Bots told her to be quiet, she apparently told him off."

"I don't believe it. That doesn't sound like Sarah at all. What does she have to do for her detention?"

"Nothing too bad, just lines after dinner because it was her first one and… well… because it's Sarah Bell." Gwen shrugged. "Who would have thought?

"Listen, Anna, can I meet you later for dinner? I kind of have a date with that four-year Guardian, John Gryskiewicz." Gwen was looking at Anna hopefully as they reached the city gate.

"Sure. I was thinking about going out to visit Swooper anyway. So when did you and John hook up?"

"Well… we haven't yet, really, but we've been talking a lot lately, and he sent me an owl asking me to meet him at the _Witches Brew Theater_. We're hoping to see a show together. I'll see you tonight." And Gwen set off at a fast pace through the city's arched gate.

A few minutes later, Anna was entering Vollucross Stadium. She was looking forward to a seeing Swooper again when she heard a voice.

"Beware, Guardian…"

Anna looked around in surprise. Although she wasn't touching anything magical, the voice sounded familiar to her.

"Who is it?" Anna called back, looking for the source of the whispering voice.

There was a rattled heave. "I bring news once again of the plot against you."

Anna's breath froze in her chest. It was the same man Anna had seen hiding in the alley on her first day back to Castlewood. She squinted hard and could barely see the shadow of a hunched form hiding behind the bleachers between them. Anna rushed forward to peer between the wooden seats and into the opening in the back.

"Do not look upon me! Must I warn you again that I am cursed? I would not repay your mother's kindness to me by passing my curse on to her only child."

"Where is she? Where is my mother?"

"I do not know. I can only report… that she has finally freed herself from the Dark Lord's clutches."

"What? How do you know this?"

There was a long pause and Anna found herself looking for a way to navigate around the obstacles separating the two of them. She could see no way to get to the man without first traveling a hundred yards in either direction between the rising seats.

"I have been sent to warn you again that the plot against you has begun, and your enemies are closer than you realize. You should not be alone like this in the open."

Anna suddenly became fearful. She slowly looked around her, almost realizing too late how vulnerable she had left herself in coming to the stadium by herself.

"You are in grave danger here, Guardian. You are far too close to the forest. All you care about… your family… your friends… many are in jeopardy."

Anna's heart was racing. "My family? My friends? Why would they be in danger too? Please… sir, I don't understand; is there no way you can let me see you."

Anna tried to fit her head between the seats to see through to the other side. She could just see the shadow of the man move away.

"No, that is impossible! I told you, I am cursed." The man began to cough and wheeze through his protest. "I will not make your mother my enemy by destroying her child."

"But sir, what am I to do? You told me before that my mother was coming to Spellsburg. Is that still true?"

There was another pause, and then, "She is already here, Guardian. Victoria Grayson has arrived."

Anna jumped back at these words, slamming her head on the seats above.

"No! She… she can't be here. They'll catch her and she'll be sent back to…" she suddenly halted.

"Where is my mother now, and why does she send you again to give me these messages? Why doesn't she come to me herself?"

"She is hiding in the Shadowed Forest, child, in a place they cannot hope to find her. But she is angry… very angry."

"Angry?"

"She is angry at the servant of _He-Who-Would-Destroy-You_. The Dark Lord's servant is also here… and plotting your doom."

Anna gulped hard.

"Why would Voldemort…"

The man suddenly fell back and hissed, and Anna was angry with herself for delaying his answer.

"Why would _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ want…" she hesitated, "to kill me? I'm nobody, just a student at Castlewood…"

"Nobody?" the man broke in. "Was it nobody who entered the dungeons of Drogo undetected? Was it a ghost who entered Victoria's enchanted door and then released her mother? How was this done?"

Anna hesitated; she could feel the man's mind reach out desperately for an answer, but she remained silent.

"Ah… you see… there is a secret to it." The man said before coughing again. "Something so secret that your mother, even with his servant's help, could not freely explain to their master. The Dark Lord would be curious about this power you possess, but there is more that feeds his ambitions against you."

He paused again to take in a gasped breath. Anna scowled. "I don't understand; what more?"

The man recovered quickly. "Your status in the ancient order, the keeper of all keys, that would unlock your mother's prison door and every other door sent impenetrable by magic, reside in the first of the order reborn. The Dark Lord knows what you are, child."

Anna's eyes widened.

"_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_, even by his servants, is drawn to power like a moth to flame. It has always been so for the man who has become what he is. He would possess this power; possess it… or insure it is never used against him." The man took another rattled breath. "Nothing you care about is safe, not your family, not your friends… many _others_ are also in jeopardy."

Anna frowned. She immediately picked up on his warning. "Others? What others? Who are you talking about?"

The man started coughing again and Anna listened closely to what she thought would be his failing heart, but its beat was strong and surprisingly steady.

"The creatures you love are not safe," replied the sickly voice, "for they will surely be used against you."

"The… creatures? I don't…" and then, like a bolt of lightening, it suddenly hit her. Why this pitiful creature of a man had exposed himself in the middle of the day like this. Why he had chosen this particular spot to stop her. Anna had been heading for the stables, heading for…

"Swooper?"

Anna pushed back from the man's hiding place to look behind her.

"No, Guardian! You must not! You have been warned of the danger."

Anna was barely listening as she took a few steps toward the stables now visible under the bleachers on the other side of the field.

"Child — NO! Listen to your mother's servant, I beg you please: You are not alone; it is not safe to be here! Go back — go back!"

But the man's panicked warnings were fading quickly now as Anna pelted toward the stables.

_Swooper! Not Swooper. They couldn't — they won't be allowed to hurt him. _She crossed the field and entered the stables, pulling out her wand as she crossed the threshold. She stopped to listen, her wand raised and pointing into the areas too dark to see.

"Mr. Kinston? Sir? Are you in here?"

She slid to the side of the wall and cautiously looked into the first stall. It was empty.

"Jeremiah?"

And then she heard it, the bellowing cry of a friend.

"Swooper?" Throwing any care for her own safety aside, Anna raced down the center of the stalls and to the farthest enclosure on the right.

"Swooper?" she looked inside, but the stall was empty. "Swooper, where are you?"

She fumbled at the gate's latch and threw the door open to move inside. There was a cry of pain in an empty dent of straw in the center of the stall and Anna's breath left her.

"Oh God — no! Swooper!"

She ran forward, tripped on something heavy buried in front of her, and then fell on top of the invisible mound that was her horse. There was another cry of pain beneath her, as she felt around to find his head.

"Swooper, what's the matter? What's wrong? Show yourself to me!" She felt something wet and warm beneath her hand but found nothing as she pulled away to look at her fingers. And then, very slowly, something began to appear there. Her hand began to change from white to red. It was blood.

"Oh — God! Swooper!" She threw herself onto the animal again and closed her eyes to listen. His heartbeat was still strong, but his breathing sounded hampered.

"Swooper, you have to show yourself. Please boy, come on, I can't see what's wrong when you're invisible. Show me what's happened to you." And then she could see the familiar ripple of distorted light bending around the hole in the straw under her. A massive red spot was visible first, and Anna gasped in horror at the wound in the horses' neck. The rest of the creature finally appeared to her and Anna fell on top of him crying.

"Oh no, Swooper. What happened to you? Who did this?"

Swooper raised his head and kicked out to try and stand.

"No Swooper, lie still. Don't move. I have to find Mr. Kingston and Doctor Pearl; they'll know what to do to fix you. Please be still and I'll go for help." Anna stood and began to walk backward, torn between running for help and leaving her friend behind.

"I'll be right back. Don't worry, I'll…" but Anna tripped again on something heavy, buried in the straw behind her. She tumbled back and slammed her head on the gate next to her. A flash of white light hit her brain like a hammer, almost sending her into unconsciousness and it was only Swooper's worried cry that kept her from blacking out entirely. Anna struggled to pull herself forward, and then…

"My wand! I dropped my wand… where is it?"

She began digging around in the straw, looking for the purple heart, when her hands fell upon something buried beneath. She frowned and then realized this is what she had tripped on coming into the stall. She moved her hands around, trying to find what it was and then screamed in horror as she looked down upon a face looking up at her. Anna scrambled backward against the gate, trying to get away.

"Anna… is that you?"

Anna looked up to find Mr. Kingston looking down over the gate at her.

"Jeremiah!" Anna tried to stand, but fell again as fear and nausea moved to overwhelm her.

"Why is Swooper lying down like that?" Kingston asked, pushing the gate back to step inside.

"Swooper's been injured, he's bleeding," Anna screamed.

"Bleeding? What do you mean?" The man rushed in and then stopped. "What the hell?" He could see the face of the man, half buried in the straw, staring up at him. Kingston bent down and began to brush away the straw from the man's body and then lifted a limp hand to feel for a pulse.

"Cold…" Kingston whispered. He moved the straw away from the man's shoulders and Anna covered her mouth to scream. The man's throat had been completely ripped out, the area between his chin and chest a bloody mess of torn flesh.

"It looks like he was attached by some kind of wild animal. He's… he's dead." Mr. Kingston looked back at Anna, who had turned away from the grizzly sight and was crying.

"I know this man," Kingston said disbelievingly, looking down again at the dead man staring back. "Anna… do you know who this is?"

Anna, still crying, looked down at the face and nodded. "It's… it's Michael Wendell!"

133


	13. Chapter 11 - Where Dragons Roam

Chapter 11D09

Chapter 11 (draft 09)

Where Dragons Roam

ONE

The news of Michael Wendell's murder hit the city of Spellsburg like a bomb. Reporters from the Spellsburg Seer were in full force at Vollucross stadium, looking to get any details they could on the dreadful case. Lieutenant Mantos was in charge of finding the murderer and his Crimson Guards could be seen scouring the fields outside the stables, steadily marching shoulder to shoulder in long rows looking for clues, but the only thing suspicious they could find outside the stalls was a moldy piece of garment beneath one of the bleachers. The most striking clues were discovered at the scene of the crime inside the stables. There, an injured Threstral and a purple heart wand was found next to Michael's' mutilated body, and the owner of that wand was now sitting in Lieutenant Dunning's dungeon office trying to explain what had happened.

"I'm tired, Eric. Can I leave now?"

"No you cannot, Miss Grayson," an indignant Lieutenant Dunning replied angrily. "What part of this investigation can't you understand? You were found at the scene of a murder. Your own wand was found next to the body."

"Lieutenant Dunning, please…" Eric interrupted. "My sister's had quite a shock. There's no reason to continue yelling at her. She'll answer all your questions… just…please; a little less animosity would be appreciated." Eric sat down in a chair next to his sister and put his arm around her. "Go ahead, Anna… continue."

Anna looked at Eric and he could see she was on the verge of tears again. Visibly shaking, Anna took a deep breath. "Like I said, I went to the stables to check on Swooper and that's when I found him all bloody and hurt, and then I found Michael's body buried in the straw next to him. That's all I know."

"Oh — I think you know much more than that, Miss Grayson," Dunning interrupted again. "I already have a statement from the stable master, saying that he saw you running toward the stalls. He also said he witnessed you drawing your wand before you entered the stable building. It would seem you were expecting trouble before you got to those stalls." Dunning came around to look at Anna directly. "Why were you running into the stables?

Anna looked at Eric. She could see his troubled expression, his wanting to know the truth.

"Because I was told Swooper might be in danger." Anna replied meekly.

"You were told the Threstral was in danger? By whom?" Dunning snapped back angrily.

"Gregory, give the girl a chance to explain," Captain Hayman interrupted, standing next to Dunning's desk. "Go on, Anna, who told you this? We have to know."

Anna heaved a rattled breath again. "I don't know who he was. It was a man hiding under the bleachers. He said he was there to warn me and to stay away from the stables."

"Warn you? Warn you about what, Anna?" Eric said worriedly.

Anna looked at her brother. She knew the next words she spoke would be met with skepticism.

"He said… Voldemort was out to get me."

Eric Grayson almost fell out of his chair in shock. His first reaction was to argue against what Anna had just said, but he found his memory immediately traveling back to the conversation he had had with their father on the deck of the BB5 after his graduation the previous year. Speaking of Voldemort, his father said, _"Anna could be seen as a danger to him."_ The message from Anna's stranger would be the first confirmation of their father's worst fear.

"_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_… is out to get you? YOU?" Dunning's retort was full of seething disbelief.

Anna looked up at Dunning and instantly became angry. "No… I mean… VOLDEMORT!"

"What idiotic rubbish is this?" Dunning smirked, looking back at Hayman.

"Anna… given what we know now, do you think this man you saw in the bleachers could have killed Wendell before he spoke to you?" Hayman asked.

"No… I don't. He was trying to warn me to stay away from the stables."

"Why? Because he thought there was somebody there that might be a danger to you?"

Anna nodded.

"Then this man might also know who it was that killed Michael Wendell. Would you agree?"

Anna looked at Hayman and then to her brother. "I… guess so."

Dunning couldn't contain his anger any longer. "Oh — for the love of… this is ridiculous. Of all the lies and cover ups — this would be the most obscene."

"Gregory…please…"

"Captain! This girl was found with the body!" Dunning yelled out, pointing angrily at Anna. "Her wand was found right next to the murdered man!"

"I told you, I dropped my wand when I fell over him," Anna snapped back.

"She had blood on her hands!"

"Swooper's blood! It was Swooper's blood!"

Dunning spun on his heels and then grabbed two pieces of parchment from off his desk.

"An owl delivered these reports just ten minutes ago from Lieutenant Mantos who's been searching Michael Wendell's apartment in the city. They found two men there who were friends to the victim. Apparently, they were looking for Michael when the guards arrived and interrogated them. According to this report, both men say they personally witnessed an argument between you and Wendell just a few weeks ago where you apparently told the victim… and I quote… to 'Drop-dead.'" Dunning looked up from the report. "Interesting… because apparently, that's exactly what you helped to facilitate." Dunning returned to his report with an angry snap of the paper, "You also said, 'if you ever put your hands on me again you'll regret it.'"

Eric turned to his sister. "Anna… is this true? Did you see Michael Wendell again before today?"

Anna nodded. "Yes… I saw him the day I told you I saw the limping-man in the city."

"So what happened?" Dunning cut in. "Did Wendell corner you in the stables, tried to get fresh with you, and so you cut his throat?"

"No!" Anna yelled back. She looked at Eric. "Eric… I didn't. You know I didn't."

"Of course I know, Anna. Of course."

There was a knock at the door of the office.

"Come!" Dunning shouted.

The door swung open and a guard stepped inside.

"Captain — I have the preliminary report you requested on the murder in the stables." The guard held a scroll out and Dunning snatched it away. He tapped it with his wand and unrolled the parchment. He read through the report and then dropped a surprised gaze down at Anna. He then handed the report to the captain and then turned away.

Captain Hayman quickly scanned through the report. "Our tests show the blood found on Anna's hands belonged to the Threstral."

"That's what I said," Anna shot back.

"Now this is interesting," Hayman continued.

"What's interesting, John?" Eric said, standing to look at him.

"It says here that Wendell's throat wasn't cut, but was torn out… by some unknown creature and…"

"And…?" Eric stepped forward, "…and… what?"

"And most of his blood was missing from his body."

Anna's eyes widened in horror and the three other men standing in the room looked at one another, each believing they knew something the others did not.

"Anna, you're free to go," Hayman said, almost remorsefully.

"Captain Hayman — NO! Certainly not!" Dunning yelled. "She's our only suspect! You can't let her go. She should be locked in a cell until our full report is complete."

"Gregory… you know as well as I that Anna could not have done this. There was a knife found in Wendell's hand. We have confirmed through blood tests this was the weapon used to stab the Threstral. The man's body was absent of blood, but there wasn't any blood found in the stall other than what belonged to the thorse."

"But…" Dunning began to argue, "…a simple _Scourgifying_ spell…"

"The body had been moved to the stall after the man was killed. Anna could not have entered when first seen by the stable master, killed Wendell in the matter in which he was found, and then cleaned up both herself and the stall in the time it took Mr. Kingston to find her."

"No…Captain, don't do this; you can't let her go. Where is justice here? She knows more than what she's telling us; I know it!"

"We will concentrate our search for the man Anna said she saw under the bleachers. Mantos's men found a piece of clothing where Anna said this man tried to warn her away from the stables. We will continue our search there."

"John…" Dunning pleaded, "…no! She was involved; I know…"

"Lieutenant Dunning!" Hayman snapped back. "That's enough!" He turned to Eric and Anna. "Miss Grayson… you're free to go. But I would ask that you make yourself available if any further questions become necessary, and you are not to leave the plateau without my permission. An owl has been sent to your father regarding this matter. I would expect he will be contacting you shortly."

Anna stood. "What about Swooper? His injuries…"

"Were not very serious," Hayman assured her. "The Threstral is already on his feet again and under the care of the Vollucross Steward, Doctor Pearl."

"I want to see him," she said, looking hopefully at her brother.

"Absolutely not!" Dunning yelped. He looked at Captain Hayman. "She should be banned from the area until our investigation and search are completed."

The captain nodded. "He's right, Anna. Let Mantos finish his work first. When he's satisfied he's completed his investigation, then you can return. For now, it's best you stay clear of the stables and the stadium."

"I agree, Anna," Eric said worriedly. "You shouldn't be anywhere near that place right now."

Anna and Eric left the dungeon office to the sound of Dunning arguing with Captain Hayman through the closed door.

"Dunning still has it in for me," Anna moaned.

Eric looked at her in surprise. "Why would you say that? Dunning's memory was wiped clean after his demotion. He shouldn't be carrying any residual hostility against you now." Anna looked at him with a patronizing frown. Eric was surprised again. "What? You don't think he still knows what happened at Drogo?" her brother asked her, disbelievingly.

Anna looked around them carefully. "Yes… he does. He still knows everything. I'm sure of it."

Eric was shocked. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because he called me into his office when it came time to give me my security pass. During my interview, he made it clear to me… his memory was still in tact."

"Did he actually say that?"

"Of course not. But you know how Dunning can twist a phrase to get his point across when he wants to. He was asking a lot of question about…" she looked cautiously around them again and then whispered, "Victoria Grayson."

"What?"

"That's right. He asked me if she was well… and whether I knew if she was planning to come to Spellsburg again."

"You're kidding?"

Anna was shaking her head when the door to Dunning's office opened again and Captain Hayman stepped out.

"Oh — Eric, Anna, I'm glad you're still here. Can I have a word with the two of you in private, please?"

The Graysons looked at each other, nodded, and then followed Hayman into another office where he quickly closed the door behind them. It took the captain a while to finally find the right words to explain his troubled thoughts. He finally turned to Anna.

"Anna, I know about your mother. I know about Victoria Grayson."

Anna was stunned. "You… you do?"

"Yes… I do. I know the two of you already know this, but the Captain of the Guard is in charge of the Crimson squads in Spellsburg and Castlewood, and also those stationed in Drogo. When I took Dunning's post, I was fully informed of Drogo's existence in the Shadowed Forest by Chancellor Thordarson. He also informed me he told you about his role as the hospital's leading Healer and Secret Keeper. So I know I don't have to explain his knowledge of Drogo to you." Anna nodded as Hayman turned to stare at the fireplace left burning in the room.

"Thordarson told me about your mother's case," the captain hesitated, "not all of it, mind you; doctor-patient privilege forbids my knowing all of the medical details, just the facts necessary for the purposes of security." He turned to her again. "I know it was because of you're mother's escape that Dunning lost the captaincy."

Anna held her breath, wondering if the captain's next sentence was to accuse her of Victoria's escape, but he didn't.

"I also know your mother … is a vampire." Anna could hear his words were interwoven with both immense worry and heart-felt sympathy. "And… I know the cause of her condition… was _You-Know-Who's _doing." He hesitated again before turning to look down into the sputtering fire under the mantel. "Anna, I too have lost family at the hands of this fiend and his Death Eaters. So I hope you'll believe me when I tell you how truly sorry I am about what's happened to your family and to your mother."

Anna could feel the burning sensation of tears brewing in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you, Captain."

Eric stepped forward and reached out to his friend in sympathy. "John… I had no idea. Who did you lose?"

Hayman looked at Eric and swallowed hard. "He had both of my parents killed in my first year at Castlewood. My father was an Auror." He slowly turned away to look into the fire again. "My mother… just got in the way."

"Oh my God," Anna moaned.

Hayman suddenly turned to her. "I need you to tell me the truth, Anna. Do you think it possible Victoria Grayson could have done this — could have killed Michael Wendell?"

Anna shifted her stare to her brother, who was only glancingly looking at her. She wasn't surprised by Hayman's question. In fact, her first thought after Dunning said the blood had been drained from a ripped throat forced her to admit this frightful possibility.

"I don't know, Captain. I guess… it's possible. I didn't want to say anything in front of Dunning, but the man I saw under the bleachers said… that my mother had returned to the plateau."

"What?" Eric yelped.

Anna looked at her brother. "He said she was hiding somewhere in the Shadowed Forest."

"I don't understand, Anna. Why would your mother come back here and risk being caught again?" Hayman asked her.

Anna hesitated before answering. "Because she believes Voldemort has sent somebody after me. The man said Victoria was being held a prisoner by the Dark Lord, but she had escaped," and she told them what the cursed man said about her mother helping him to escape, and how she had sent him ahead to warn Anna of Voldemort's plan.

Eric looked horrified. "That might explain why Mantos didn't find any blood in the stall. Victoria might have attacked Wendell after witnessing his fight with Anna."

Anna was surprised. The thought of her mother being so close to her in the city made her tremble.

"No… I don't think that's what happened here," Hayman replied. "The body was definitely moved into the stall after Wendell was killed. Our investigation has confirmed that much up to now."

"But… who hurt Swooper, then," Anna retorted. "Dunning said Michael had the knife that was used to hurt my horse."

"Now that's an interesting question," Hayman answered. "We know Michael was killed somewhere else and then moved to the stall. I think it improbable that the body was hidden there for any other reason than to implicate you. Perhaps whoever it was had to put the horse down to get the body in there, or to create a motive for you attacking Wendell in the first place. I don't know"

Eric frowned. "But if the body was used to frame Anna, then that would clear Victoria, wouldn't it? I mean… Victoria Grayson wouldn't travel all this way to protect Anna and then try and frame her."

"That's true, unless Wendell was put in the stall as a warning to others not to harm Anna. If Wendell's body had been found anywhere else, it would have been difficult to show it had anything to do with your sister."

Hayman reached over and removed Anna's security badge from her robes.

"What are you doing?" she protested.

"You are restricted to the castle unless you have my permission and an escort."

Anna looked to her brother for support. "Eric… please. I can't be locked up in the castle for the rest of the year. I have Vollucross practice; the first race is next week."

Eric looked at Hayman and then to his sister. "Anna, I think this is for the best until we can figure things out," he said, sympathetically.

"An escort will be assigned to you if you need to go outside the castle grounds and I know just who to call," Haman added, walking over to open the door. "Until then… it's back to the Guardian Hall with you, Miss Grayson."

TWO

Being locked inside the castle turned out to be somewhat of a blessing for Anna. When the news of Michael Wendell's murder was printed in the local newspapers, the town of Spellsburg was a swarming buzz of whispered rumors. If the murder had taken place on Castlewood grounds, it might have been easier to control the flow of information, but being that the body was found a public place made it easy for reporters from the Spellsburg Seer to turn what should have been a solemn event into a wild circus of big-top proportions. The reporters were everywhere, looking for information on Wendell, and it wasn't long before Anna's name started to appear in the newspapers as the _leading suspect_ in the investigation. Reporters, eager for news, had even gone to chasing Gwen and Sarah Bell whenever they crossed the drawbridge.

Perhaps it was this continuous harassment of Sarah Bell on the reporter's part that caused Anna's roommate to fly off the handle uncharacteristically at another four-year student who was trying to probe her for information about how Anna was holding up to the stress. Sarah's sudden outbursts were generally followed by long periods of private brooding in their dorm room.

Anna was concerned about her friend. Although it would have been easy to assume the problems with Michael Wendell's murder might have been overflowing onto her roommate and her character was simply yielding to the pressure, but somehow Anna knew that wasn't the case. Sarah was irritable and moody and, sometimes, completely absent of care and normal sympathies toward those around her. Anna tried to reach out to her, to understand what was troubling her roommate, but Sarah would only say she was tired and having a lot of problems sleeping at night. When Anna suggested that she might seek the help of Doctor Pearl for a sleeping draft, Sarah reaction was both surprising and rather disturbing.

Her glare darkened as she whispered something under her breath that sounded almost menacing to Anna. "I will tell you when I need your help… Sithmaith."

Sarah had never called her Sithmaith before and, looking back several months later, Anna would realize this should have been a warning to her. But as time passed, Anna's own difficulties in dealing with the newspaper headlines kept her from pursuing whatever was causing Sarah Bell to act so strangely.

However, in the middle of the night some days later, Anna started to worry there might be something seriously wrong with her roommate.

It started as a dream for Anna and she remembered walking through a dense forest alone and all of the voices of magic speaking into her mind.

"_Beware of the little one,"_ they kept saying over and over again.

"Who are you talking about?" Anna answered back worriedly.

"_She is not what she seems… beware!"_

"Who?" Anna yelled back, adding her voice to her pleading. Suddenly Anna froze; there was the faint crack of something walking toward her from out of the darkness behind her.

Anna whipped out her wand. "Who's there?"

The shadow of somebody small was just visible between the trees, and although Anna couldn't make out her face, the moonlight behind the spy made her think it was someone familiar.

"_She is not to be trusted… she is corrupt,"_ the voices warned.

Anna's eyes suddenly fly open and she quickly realized she had been awakened by the sound of mumbling voice behind her. She turned over to look and found the same shadowed figure sitting next to her on the bed. Anna bolted upright in fright and pushed open the curtains to allow what little moonlight was available to enter the room. She found Sarah Bell sitting next to her on the bed.

"Sarah? What's the matter? Are you okay?"

While it was odd enough to find Sarah staring at her while she slept, stranger still was the eerie look Anna saw in the girl's eyes. If asked to describe it, she would have said it was a look of malevolence, and… yes… the disturbing appearance of wrath. Sarah didn't respond to say what was wrong. She stood and slowly returned to her own bed where she immediately went back asleep.

The next morning, Sarah didn't seem to remember anything from the night before and then, as quickly as Sarah's foul mood had arrived it was suddenly gone; replaced again by the shy, but always cheerful companion that Anna had grown to love. Anna's concern for Sarah was temporarily set aside the next night when they heard a heavy knock at their door and on the other side Anna found a note.

Miss Grayson,

You are hereby granted permission to leave the castle grounds at exactly eight o'clock tomorrow morning where a guard will be waiting to escort you to Vollucross Stadium for your first race. This temporary lifting of your restrictions will continue only while in direct line of sight of your escort. Any deviation from the chosen route set by your guard will cause the immediate suspension of your riding privileges. You should know it was only due to the Vollucross Steward's private intervention on your behalf that you are being allowed to reenter the arena area. Doctor Pearl thinks highly of your personal code of conduct and she has assured me that you will honor these rules set aside for your personal safety. It's to your honor that I demand your complete and absolute adherence to the instructions given to you by your escort. Enjoy your day. Respectively, John Hayman. Captain of the Crimson Guard.

"Thank you, Doctor Pearl," Anna whispered gratefully as she crumbled the parchment in her hands.

At seven-fifty nine the next morning, Anna was waiting by the Castlewood entranceway for her escort to arrive. She hadn't thought that much about what Captain Hayman had said about _knowing just who to call _to be her escort, and she would later wonder why she didn't know immediately.

The morning air was crisp and cold, even for the month of November, and the sky was bright blue and void of clouds. As Anna waited outside the immense door, she looked up and wondered what the winds would be like at five hundred feet. Wrapping her arms about her shoulders, she turned and suddenly found her vision completely red.

"You should be wearing a warmer cloak, you should," said a familiar voice.

Anna looked up and gasped. Towering more than eight feet above her, was a crimson-cloaked guard wearing a silken mask.

"Trog!" Anna squealed, throwing herself around his massive body. His bulk felt like a pile of bricks as she struggled to put her arms around the giant's middle.

"Miss Anna should not be outside the castle without her escort, she shouldn't," Trog said derisively.

Anna pushed back to look up at him and grinned. She could she his emerald eyes wrinkling their edges in the way they always did when the creature smiled.

"I was just outside the door," Anna explained.

"You are to follow my instructions without question, you are," Trog said, importantly. "I am your escort, I am. You will follow me."

"Yes, sir," Anna answered, releasing him to stand straight.

"Very good. Go, we must. Stay to the schedule, you will."

And so the two of them set off together, a sight to behold to be sure; the young girl in purple robes and bright red hair, following the towering guard in Crimson robes through the inner courtyard and out portcullis. Anna smiled as she watched the students walking in front of them eagerly move to get out of Trog's way. A massive presence moving down the walk, Trog rolled like a diesel engine who's social skills did not include diverting from his chosen path despite those who failed to clear his way. On more than one occasion, several students were bumped to the side and nearly flattened under Trog's massive boots.

"Hold on… you're going too fast," Anna complained, as she jogged to keep up.

Trog stopped and turned. "You are to keep close to your escort, you are."

"Well I'm trying… but I can't walk that fast."

Trog looked down at her and frowned. "Shall I carry you?" he said, cocking his head worriedly.

"No… you don't have to carry me. I can walk on my own. Just slow down a little so I can keep up."

As the two of them crossed over the drawbridge, Anna could see she was in trouble. A number of reporters were waiting for them as she stepped onto the city street.

"Anna! Anna Grayson… did you kill Michael Wendell?" a reporter yelled out loudly. Using his wand like a microphone, as he pointed it at her to wait for a response.

Anna was taken aback by the directness of the question, but she didn't have time to answer before another reporter shouted, "Miss Grayson — is it true that you were just protecting yourself from Wendell's attacks?"

"What? No… of course not!" Anna blurted out in reply. The crowd of reporters rushed in to surround her.

"No you didn't kill him, or no you weren't trying to protect yourself?" yelled a third reporter.

"You will stay back, you will!" bellowed Trog angrily. "I am her escort, I am. You will move back!" And with one massive swipe of his arm, Trog forcibly moved the crowd out of Anna's path.

"Come!" he said, directing Anna forward with one gigantic hand pressing into her back.

The crowd followed the two of them through the city, shouting questions about Michael Wendell, how Anna had found the body, and the injury to her Threstral. On and on they yelled, through the city gates and across the plateau toward Vollucross Stadium.

"No more questions," Troy bellowed irritably, as they turned toward the stadium gates.

"The public has a right to know why she killed him!" shouted one obsessive reporter who had moved to block their path again.

Without answering, Trog unknowingly bumped passed the man, leaving him and his photographer sprawled in a heap on the grass. Standing again, the reporter looked livid.

"Guard! Who do you report to? You can't treat a member of the press this way. What is your name? And why are you wearing a mask?" The man raised a wand. _"Reserperio!"_

At once, the silken mask covering Trog's face flew off and the crowd let out a collective gasp in response. At first, the giant tried to cover his face with his gloved hands, before bending over and then falling to his knees to look for his fallen mask. He began groping at the ground with one hand while trying to hide the features of his face with the other. He found Anna's feet blocking his way. His head tilted up to look at her, and he could see she was holding his mask, which looked like a tablecloth in her small hands. He moved again to hide his face, while his green eyes peered out from between his massive, sausage-like fingers.

Anna smiled and then reached out to gently take hold of his fingers covering his face, and she could see his eyes widen in surprise as she moved to pry then away. His hands tighten and then relaxed, finally succumbing to her long and wanting wish to see him. Anna gently moved his hands away from his rocky face and she could hear the crowd gasping behind her again.

Trog's features were a study of nature itself. His cheeks and forehead looked like dark pebbles set within a mud-colored face. Moss-like fur covered the parts of his face where a man's beard might be, which was gathered together close to his chin with a wrapped twig. His ears, just protruding knobs of bone sticking out from the sides of his head, were gently set back to where his neck joined his baldhead. _But… oh… his eyes._ For a creature such as this, living in the Shadowed Forest his whole life, Anna could see the entire world and all its beauty in his green, gem-like eyes. Anna placed her hand upon the thing's face and he closed his eyes at her gentle touch.

"Not — pretty, it is not," Trog said, in a rumble of a whisper.

"I think," Anna replied, moving closer to place her other hand upon his cheek, "you're absolutely beautiful." And to Trog's great surprise, Anna Grayson reached around as far as she could to hug his massive head against her chest, and the creature hugged her back with all the gentleness he could muster given his great size.

"My God… it's an _ogre_!" yelled one of the reporters. "What's a dirty ogre doing in Crimson robes?" There were several flashes from their cameras that seemed to break the quite moment Anna had hoped to share for hours in the giant's enormous embrace.

"Miss Grayson… did you have this monster kill Michael Wendell for you?" yelled the reporter who had used a wand to remove Trog's mask.

Anna and Trog pushed themselves apart and the ogre could see the surprised disgust in her reaction to the reporter's question. His rocky expression hardened. The ogre took the mask from Anna's hand and then began to rise, and she could feel the ground beneath her grown at the ogre's concentrated weight. He turned to face the reporter and could see the wand he had used to remove his cover still wagging in his hand.

Trog moved quickly, so fast in fact that there was little doubt it was magical. First he was beside Anna and then he was not. In the blink of an eye, he was standing before the reporter and already reaching down at him. The shocked man had just enough time to raise his wand and stab its point into Trog's palm, where it was summarily crushed into dust within his brick-like grip.

"Nice, you are not!" Trog grumbled ominously, and before the man could let out a shout of protest the ogre bent down nose to nose with the wizard. Anna thought the man looked like a small child gaping fearfully into the face of a mountain. "You should learn to respect what you do not understand, you should," Trog said reproachfully. He then he opened his mouth… and sneered at the man. The reporter could see what looked like a wall of tusks bigger than his entire head, lying in odd rows cracked and broken. He shuddered when he saw the smaller bones of something eaten earlier that morning protruding from between his teeth.

The man gulped. "My… ah… apologies…sir," he whimpered timidly.

Trog slowly rose before him, and Anna watched the man's eyes follow the ogre up like a boy witnessing with awed wonder the building of some hideous storm. Trog raised the mask again and then dropped it down over his face to cover his head. He then turned to Anna once more.

"Come."

The two walked alone the rest of the way to the stadium, the crowd of reporters without courage to follow.

"Trog… why do you wear that mask all the time? You don't have to, you know; not around me, anyway."

The giant looked down at her and wrinkled his eyes again. "Captain Dunning made it a part of my uniform, he did. Troy must be covered entirely."

"But Dunning isn't the Captain of the Guard anymore. Hayman is Captain now."

"Hay-man is good to Trog, he is. He gives Trog the duty again. He knows Trog can be useful, he can. Trog helped set the very first stone in the Guardian Hall, he did," he stiffened proudly as he walked, and Anna smiled. He paused for a moment, and then, "Most wizards do not like Trog — because he is different, he is. It is best I stay covered when not in the forest, it is."

After seeing the reaction to Trog's presence in the city, it might have been easy for Anna to agree. "But you don't have to hide yourself around me, Trog. I don't think there's anything wrong with the way you look." She could hear a half gasp, like a sucking wind through old pipes, and then a clunking guffaw that Anna took for laughter beneath his mask.

"The lady ogres in the forest like Troy, too, they do," he said with another clunk.

Anna stopped to look at him. "There are lady ogres… in the forest?"

"Oh yes… there are three. They live on different mountains, they do. Keeps them from fighting, it does."

"They… they fight each other… why?"

"Violent, they are. They do not like to share their lands."

Anna turned to continue forward. "Well I'll bet you're big enough to make them stop fighting."

This time Trog stopped. "Oh-no! They are much bigger than Trog, they are. Much bigger!"

Anna stared at him. "Bigger? Bigger… than you?"

"Half again so, they are," Trog explained, raising a huge hand above his head as if to show her how big.

"Goodness!"

"And mean during the rut, they are. Grow horns as big as dragons, they do," he said, this time raising both hands over his head to show her.

"Oh — my — gosh, they sound absolutely terrifying," Anna said in amazed wonder.

"No… beautiful, they are… with their beards and horns," Trog signed, in apparent rapture.

"Beards?!"

They continued talking about the creatures of the Shadowed Forest all the way to Vollucross Stadium and Anna was amazed at Trog's knowledge of everything around them. Finally, they saw a line of people trying to enter the stadium gates, and Trog lead Anna around to the gap on the forest side of the stables.

The moment Anna entered Swooper's stall, remorse moved to overwhelm her. Knowing Michael Wendell's body was put there to frame her for his murder made her feel terribly insecure again. But these feelings were short-lived when saw the black threstral moving about excitedly at the sound of the rumble in the stands above him.

"Swooper!" Anna yelped happily, rushing forward to hug her horse. She couldn't believe he looked so strong after all the blood she had found on him after the attack.

"He's as strong as he is stubborn, that one," announced a voice behind her and Anna turned to find the Castlewood stable master, Mr. Kingston, smiling back at her.

"Oh… Jeremiah! Thank you so much for taking care of him." Anna's face fell as she looked over her mount's neck. "His injuries… were they…?"

"No… not serious. He was on his feet again ten minutes after you left him. Stronger than an ox and twice at obstinate, that Thorse."

Swooper grunted disapprovingly.

"Well it's true," the man replied angrily, but then he smiled again and suddenly looked excited. "Nothing like a good race to burn his mulish heart."

Anna looked into Swooper's deep blue eyes; he looked perfect, strong, and ready for action. "Are you ready to fly today, big boy?" she asked him anxiously, and Swooper bellowed excitedly in reply.

An hour later, the riders and their mounts were zooming around the arena, waiting for the whistle that would sound the beginning of the first race. Professor Bots had his wand to his throat to magnify his voice over the excited throng who were on their feet and clapping wildly in anticipation.

"Good luck and God's speed to our riders and their mounts," Bots bellowed happily. "AND SO IT BEGINS!

There was a loud blast of a whistle and the flying horses dipped their wings and shot toward the gap, through the stadium breach, and over the cool, green forests below them. As she always did, and thanks to her mount's amazing sprinting speed, Lannete Cobstone immediately took the lead into the first tree-lined gap in the woods followed closely by two riders and then Anna with four others. Anna looked back at the stadium behind them and smiled as she watched the skies over its stone walls darken and the Vollucross Hemisphere begin to brighten over the spectator's heads. She could still hear the roar of the crowd as she fell into the first turn.

Swooper was in brilliant form. Perhaps it had been the loving care Doctor Pearl and Mr. Kingston had given to his recovery, or the fact that he had been cooped up in his stall for far too long. Whatever the reason, Swooper was using a vast amount of energy, as he zipped immediately by one of the other horses in front of him in a sweeping loop that even took Anna completely by surprise. With her heels anchored tight against his pegs, Anna swore she could hear the crowd screaming their delight in the stadium miles behind them. Swooper straightened and then leveled once more behind another rider, and Anna could feel her mount's massive body tense for another pass.

"Save some strength for the end, boy," Anna warned him as they banked a hard left into another turn and then right once again. Swooper glided through the turns easily, and Anna could tell by the sharp jerks at her reins that the Threstral had much more to give.

Left, right, right again; the trees to the side looked like a green blur of paint. Right, down, up, left; Swooper zipped through the gaps, flapping hard between the bends. On each left turn, Anna could feel an extra hard pull of Swooper's wings, which closed the gap between themselves and other rider ahead. Soon they were right on the other horse's tail, matching its every move through the trees.

They finally flew into a wide, open area and saw the first green pole and its rings waiting near a triangular flag in its center.

CLANG!

Lannete Cobstone was already snapping her captured ring on her saddle clip and heading into the gap in the woods again.

_My gosh… Lannete is fast today,_ Anna thought as she and the rider in front circled the pole.

CLANG! CLANG! Anna turned sharply and sped into the woods again.

Right, left, left, right, right again; Swooper was pressing hard. Again, on each left turn, Swooper was closing and Anna could see why. The horse in front of them was wide in his turns. Every time they banked left, Anna could see them slipping wide to the right. She smiled broadly as she leaned down.

"You're more a fox than a charging steed, Swooper; I see it now. We'll close in on the next turn and then catch them on the first left bank. There was a jerk in reply at the reins. They swept right in a tight ninety-degree turn and Anna saw the next left coming.

"Now, Swooper! Go — go — go!"

Her mount closed the gap in less than a second and dove under the other horse's hooves into the turn. Once there, they waited for the slide. It happened right on queue, and Swooper filled the widening gap to pass. They rose and banked right to cut off any chance of the other rider's recovery. It was a brilliant pass, and Anna gave every bit of the credit to Swooper's experience and determination as they moved to chase Lannete once again.

Anna saw the horse in front of them disappear through a gap of blue in the trees when a dark shadow suddenly flew over their heads to block out the sun. Anna looked up and was stunned, amazed, and immediately fearful by what she saw. She looked ahead just as Swooper breached the gap of blue and exploded into the open air over the crystal lake.

"Down, Swooper…. get down!" Anna leaned over the horse's black mane to push his head forward. The frightened tone of Anna's voice was all Swooper needed to know something was terribly wrong; he immediately obeyed.

They dove together toward the water below them as Anna looked up, searching frantically for Lannete Cobstone. She could see the girl peering under her arm back at her and frowning at Anna's unexplainable plunge toward the water.

Anna began waving frantically at her. "Get down! Down! Get down to the water!" She could see the girl didn't understand. She didn't realize she was in danger. Lannete smiled and began whipping the sides of her horse with the reins to increase her distance as she headed for the pole in the middle of the lake.

"No!" Anna yelled fearfully, pulling hard on the reins to level. She turned her attention to the skies above then again.

CLANG!

Anna could hear Lannete taking the second ring, but she didn't care. She was searching the sky everywhere around them for what she had seen flying over the woods.

"We have to warn her, Swooper. Try and cut her off!"

They began to rise, this time veering directly into Lannete's oncoming path.

Lannete had just affixed the second ring to the back of her saddle when she looked up to see Anna heading directly at her. She screamed and pushed down to avoid crashing into them. Anna immediately banked over to follow her down.

"Are you insane?" Cobstone screamed. "You could have killed us both! You're way off course, Grayson!"

"Get down! Get down to the water, NOW!" Anna yelled back, motioning frantically below them.

"What?"

Anna finally screamed the only word she knew would to explain her actions.

"DRAGONS!"

She could tell by the look on Lannete's face that the girl understood her, but her disbelief delayed her response.

"What?"

"I said…" but it was too late. A second later it happened. A massive streak of copper scales shot past Anna and Swooper and smashed into the other horse's wing carrying Lannete Cobstone. There was a horrible crack and a scream of pain as a dragon, three times the size of Swooper, spread its wings to recover from its killing dive.

Lannete and her horse tumbled over and over toward the water below them and Anna screamed helplessly as she watched them fall.

"Oh, my God. NO!"

She could see the mount and its rider separating as they fell and just before Lannete and Peppercorn hit the water, a second dragon intercepted them. It caught the horse by the neck in its massive jaws and then arched upward to the open sky with Lannete dangling by her harness beneath them.

Lannete's screams could be heard getting louder as they rose toward them again and Anna watched helplessly as they passed. The dragon gave a violent and jerking twist, and there was a horrible crack that silenced Peppercorn's painful cries of suffering forever.

A moment later, Anna felt her heart stop when she saw Lannete's harness rip and give way with a sharp snap. Freed from her dead mount, the girl began to tumble toward the water again. Anna immediately dove with no hope of catching the girl or slowing her fall. She could see the other dragon diving too and Anna could feel her anger rising to match the beast. No matter what it took, she meant to stop this creature from killing the other rider.

The wind was rushing passed them like a storm as they dove, the air battered and buffeting Anna's arm as she raised and then pointed her wand down at the space between the creature and the falling girl.

"_Diffindo!"_ Anna screamed, sending a bolt of red light down at them. The spell just missed the dragon's head as it moved in to snatch Lannete out of the air. The creature spread its wings and rotated back with a loud and angry screech as Lannete hit the water.

Anna moved her arm away in time to see the beast rising again. It was flapping angrily as it refocused its attention upon her.

"Oh — my God! Swooper, we have to get out of here." She quickly looked around. "We have to get to the forest!" She reined around and lashed at the horse's sides. "GO — SWOOPER! GO — GO — GO!"

Her mount obeyed, reaching forward with his great wings and pulling back hard to increase their pace. They were almost at Swooper's top speed when the dragon shot over their heads and then rolled to block their way in front of them. Swooper screamed as his wings shot forward together to stop in front of the Vipertooth glaring angrily at them from across the open sky between them. The second dragon rose up from beneath them to block their way back. Anna turned to face the other with her wand drawn, her arm was shaking as she thrust it forward.

The great beast stared at her with large yellow eyes, and Anna could see its mind working as it flapped in place. It was trying to decide at what angle in which to take them down. In that fear-filled moment, Anna might have thought its copper color and black horns almost beautiful against the morning sky if she hadn't been so terrified. The tiles of overlapping scales covering their bodies gleamed like freshly minted pennies from the bridge of their noses right down to their hooked thumbs atop their bat-like wings. The dragon behind her growled and then opened its mouth to screech angrily at her. Anna could see a string of horseflesh hanging grotesquely from his mouth.

"Say back!" Anna yelled, thrusting her wand forward at the beast behind them before swinging it around again to point at the other in front.

Seconds passed like hours as they stared at each other, the dragons and Swooper flapping anxiously to remain aloft, as the beast in front bellowed again. Anna frowned. She was immediately taken by the fact that neither was making a move to kill them, but the tension was starting to get to Swooper. Seeing death staring hungrily at him was pressing her mount to dive, to flee, but Anna held his reins tight.

"Please… Swooper," she whispered softly, "don't make any sudden moves. Don't flee."

Anna looked into the dragon's eyes and felt her gaze fall into the great beast's mind. She could feel its rage, its seething desire to attack them, but something was holding it back. Comprehension slowly came to Anna. There was a reason for death's delay and it certainly wasn't due to any fear the dragons might have possessed of her wand. No… it was something deeper, more basic than fear. The creature was simply trying to decide if this human girl was really its enemy. Anna slowly tilted her wand back and then carefully moved to slide it back into her robes. Then she let go of the reins and held out her hands. Still looking into the creature's eyes, Anna could sense the anger she saw a moment before beginning to slide away, displaced for the sake of something even more astonishing. It made Anna smile and swell with pride.

"Sister…" Anna whispered, "I am not your enemy. I don't know what has angered you, but I understand it's not without cause." She reached out to them. "Let me help you. I want to understand what brought you here. Why have you left your nesting grounds?"

The creature fell back and then let out an angry roar.

"Let me help you, sister. Let me…"

A streak of red light suddenly smashed into the top of one of the dragon's wings. The creature let out a scream of pain and Anna looked up to see several Crimson Guards zooming in like a swarm of angry hornets on doors and brooms, firing hexes at the two dragons as they approached.

"No! Don't!" Anna yelled as her mount turned and dove to get away from the incoming curses streaking in like colored lightening all around them. The dragons followed her down, one on each side as they headed for the water. Anna looked over at the dragon and screamed, "You must go! Get back to the forest! Go before the guards kill you! Go!"

Immediately, the dragons rotated their shoulders back and pulled away, one left and the other right, they headed off across the open lake. Anna watched as one of them looked back at her. It howled and shook its enormous head before rising to cross the line of trees perched high upon the cliff's edge.

"Guardian, are you all right? Are you injured?" asked one of the guards moving in to hover beside her.

"Please… don't hurt them," Anna yelled back.

The guard seemed temporarily surprised. "We have no intention of giving chase. That would be foolish. We have rescued the other rider from the lake and the rest of the racers are being escorted back to Vollucross Stadium. Your race today is finished, Guardian. You will follow us."

Anna nodded, reined Swooper around, and then took the lead across the top of the forest. They flew in a straight line back to the stadium, and when they reentered the arena Anna was met with unexpected applause and loud cheering. She glided down to the soft grass where she found Eric, Doctor Pearl, Trog, and… somebody unexpected.

"Daddy!"

Sure enough, standing and waiting for her in the center of the field was Mister Grayson. He was reaching out to her with a look of strained relief.

"Anna! Are you all right?"

Anna jumped down and fell into her father's waiting arms. "Oh Daddy…." She quickly pushed away. "Did you see what happened? Did you see the dragons?"

Her father gave Eric a look of utter bewilderment and then smirked. "Kind of hard to miss them, sweetheart."

The crowd was still cheering loudly when Anna felt somebody tap her on the shoulder. She turned to find Lannete Cobstone standing here. Wet and still shivering under a blanket, the girl looked like she had been crying. Without saying a word, Lannete reached out to hug Anna.

"Are you okay?" Anna whispered into to her ear.

"Yeah, I'm all right… thanks to you." She pulled back and sniffed. "If you hadn't used your wand to stop that dragon, I'm sure I'd be dead right now. My horse…" Lannete's voice stumbled as her face scrunched up. She was trying with all her strength to hold back her tears.

"I know," Anna replied mournfully. "I can't believe it — Peppercorn. I'm so sorry, Lannete." The girl covered her face and Anna reached out to hug her again. "I'm so sorry."

"But why did the dragons do it? Why did they attack us? We've never had any problems with dragons over the Shadowed Forest before now. Where did they come from and why did they kill my mount?"

Anna didn't know what to say. She only hugged the girl tighter as the crowd continued to applaud around them.

"Why are they cheering?" Anna asked, looking around angrily at the stands.

"They are cheering for you, my dear," Doctor Pearl replied kindly.

"Me? But… why? Didn't they see what happened? Why would they…?"

"Because of your marvelous display of courage, my dear. Not only did you save Miss Cobstone's life, but we also saw you facing down those two beasts. Your actions were both enormously stupid… and insanely brave."

Mister Grayson stepped in to take Anna's hand. "Or… perhaps… just a little more understanding of the dragon's nature?" he whispered, questioningly. He kissed her on the forehead. "I've very proud of you, Anna."

"Well… whatever made the dragons attack the riders is going to cause a lot of trouble in the city of Spellsburg for a while," Eric said, pointing to the gap in the stadium and the Shadowed Forest beyond. They all turned and were amazed to see at least a dozen dragons flying over the forest in the distance.

"It doesn't look like the dragons are going away anytime soon."

149


	14. Chapter 12 - The Scrub Witch

Chapter 12D09

Chapter 12 (Draft 09)

The Scrub Witch

ONE

"Happy Birthday, Eric!" bellowed Mister Grayson in a private room within the fashionable Spellsburg restaurant called _The_ _Wand's Light._

"Happy Birthday, Eric!" all the Graysons sang out together, raising their dinner glasses to their elder brother.

Eric was smiling. "Thank you very much. And thank you, father, for this wonderful meal. What a feast!"

Mister Grayson walked around the table to shake his son's hand. "Nothing but the best for my boy."

"But you still haven't opened my present yet, Eric," Anna pointed, smiling broadly. A box in silk bows sat unwrapped next to his plate.

"Ah — ha… and what do we have here, I wonder," Eric replied, as he eagerly began tearing at the paper. "What's this? _Healing Techniques for the World's Dragons_, by Sir Arthur Stallion." He looked at Anna. "And how would you have known I was on the hunt for such a book?" he asked, with an inquiring wink.

Anna smiled. "It also comes with a monthly subscription to Fangs and Horns."

Her brother hugged her. "Thank you, Anna."

"I went in on it with her, Eric," Gwen interjected quickly, standing next to Anna with hopeful anticipation.

"Well then… a hug for you too," Eric cooed, as he fell into Gwen's waiting arms.

After a few seconds: "Okay-okay, you can let go of my brother now," Anna snorted amusedly.

Gwen scowled over Eric's shoulder at her and then rolled her eyes as she pulled Eric still closer.

Anna was smiling and shaking her head when she noticed her father looking toward a gapped door adjoining their room. A single hand could be seen beckoning Mister Grayson away from the table. With a look of sudden concern, Mister Grayson excused himself and then headed for the door.

Anna leaned over to Gwen. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Gwen was too engrossed in Eric's discussion of his new teaching techniques to even acknowledge her.

Exiting by another door, Anna made her way through the dining room and then entered another hallway to the women's lavatory. Anna could hear her father's whispered voice around the next corner and she slowed to listen. She peaked around the corner to see Mister Grayson talking to a hooded figure standing next to him.

"Are you sure about this?" her father was asking the man. "You're absolutely positive about what he said?"

"I heard him say it with my own ears, Director. He has assigned several subordinates to watch your man while he's here in the city. You should warn him that the Ministry is aware of his presence again on the plateau."

Anna frowned. The voice of the cloaked stranger was familiar to her. _Who was it?_

"Thank you for coming here tonight and giving me this information. I will inform our man that he's being monitored once more."

"Very well." The hooded man looked around and Anna ducked back. "I must leave now. I shouldn't be seen with you."

Mister Grayson nodded. "Very well. Go through the kitchen and out the back door, and thank you again for your help." Mister Grayson shook the stranger's hand and then turned to rejoin his family in the next room. The stranger stood alone for a moment, adjusted his hood to insure his face was properly covered, and then turned Anna's way.

Anna quickly retreated down the hallway to the bathroom and hurriedly fell through the door. She listened guardedly as the stranger's thumping steps passed and then slowly peered out again in time to see the hem of the man's robes disappear into the noise filled kitchen.

Anna opened the door and dashed down the hallway in the opposite direction. She entered the main dinning hall, passed the smiling maitre d', and then stepped through the heavy front doors and onto the sidewalk outside. She cautiously stopped to look left and right and then raced across the street and into the adjoining alleyway. There, she hid herself in the shadows to wait. A few seconds later, the hooded figure emerged from one of alleys next to the restaurant. The man turned left to join a small crowd moving down the sidewalk together and Anna quickly stepped out to follow them.

After a few blocks, the man turned to cross the street in Anna's direction and she immediately ducked into a windowed shop to avoid being seen. She watched as the man stopped outside the door of the shop, looked around carefully, and then lowered his hood. The man turned and allowed himself to be swept away into another passing crowd as Anna gaped. She emerged from the shop in utter disbelief. It was Professor Qwaad.

TWO

Letter to the Editor:

I, for one, do not believe Miss Grayson had anything to do with this Michael Wendell's death, and I thought your editorial yesterday accusing her of this dreadful crime was absolutely shameful. Since when do we convict a person in this City before they've been arrested or even accused of a crime? It would seem the authorities agree with me, and I say anybody brave enough to face down two dragons is in no way capable of such a terrible crime. The only thing we know for sure is that she found the poor man's body, and you should be ashamed of yourself for taking a horrific event in this young girl's life and turning it into something far worse with your unfounded accusations. You, sir, are despicable.

Signed - A Caring Citizen.

Dear Citizen:

I stand by my original assessment of the situation. Let's look at the facts, shall we? This young girl was found next to the body of Michael Wendell inside her threstral's stall with blood on her hands. If it was Mr. Wendell who attacked Miss Grayson's mount, that would be motive enough to question her side of the story. Additionally, there has now been further testimony stating the girl was seen arguing with Mr. Wendell just days before the man was found dead. Also, we have learned these two had a history of violence toward one another witnessed by several spectators last year while flying for their Vollucross teams. These facts, at the very least, should have lead to the girl's detention until the authorities finished their investigation more thoroughly. I believe the only reason Miss Grayson has not been arrested is because the girl comes from a very prestigious Wizarding family whose father works directly for the Minister of Magic. In this editor's opinion, this is the only irrational justification one can find as to why our new Captain of the Crimson Guard continues to allow this girl to freely walk the streets of Spellsburg.

"History of violence?" Anna yelped in disgust. "I was never violent toward Michael Wendell! He was the one who sent _me_ falling into the Shadowed Forest, remember?"

Gwen lowered the Spellsburg Seer she had been reading to a group of Guardians seated at the breakfast table in the Rotunda. "Yeah… kind of went off on you, didn't he?" she agreed.

"And how can that editor get away with saying I had Wendell's blood on my hands. That was Swooper's blood. The Crimson Guard has already confirmed that."

"Try not to worry about it, Anna," added the Knight Gabriel. "It's only one writer's opinion. He can cry and carry on all he wants, but it's just one person's view of things, and it sounds like a lot of people in the city didn't like what he said about you in his editorial yesterday."

Anna fell back angrily, looking at Gwen. "And what's all that stuff about my _prestigious family_ keeping me out of jail?" she added angrily. "Who is this guy anyway?"

Gwen looked down at the paper again. "It says here his name is Chace Scroggs." She shrugged. "He's nobody, Anna; just some guy trying to stir up trouble. That's what sells newspapers. What's important is that Captain Hayman believes you didn't do it." She turned the paper over. "Did you see this?" Gwen showed Anna the leading story on the front page.

**Vollucross Season Cancelled**

Anna took the paper and read the article aloud.

It was announced yesterday the rest of this year's Vollucross season has been officially cancelled. Healer and Castlewood Vollucross Steward, Doctor Margaret Pearl, declared today her plans to call off all future flying activities over the Shadowed Forest. This was in direct response to the dragon attack witnessed this week by thousands of spectators in the Stadium. In that attack, a Vollucross flyer from the Laborer Union was nearly killed when two rogue dragons, a species commonly referred to as _Vipertooth_, attacked and then killed her mount.

'Miss Cobstone was very fortunate to escape that attack,' commented Healer Pearl, 'and our Chancellor agrees with me our first consideration must be the safety of our students here at the school. Until the Crimson Guard can insure me of our rider's protection from any future incidents, our fliers will be unable to take to the skies again.'

Seeing this decision as an attack on their personal income, many of the odds-makers living in the city have lodged formal complaints to the Mayor of Spellsburg about the decision to abandon the rest of the Vollucross season so early in the year. For now, the Mayor's office has refused to comment publicly on the matter, choosing instead to concentrate on the safety within the city, as more and more dragons are seen flying in and out of the Shadowed Forest.

For its part, the Mayor's office was unable to explain this recent expansion of the Vipertooth's territory, which seems to include most or all of the Shadowed Forest north of Spellsburg. Several dragon experts have been seen entering the city, seeking to understand what's happened to cause these creatures to travel this far outside their normal territory and hunting grounds. According to one unnamed expert, the dragons are most likely coming from one of several mountain valleys set deep within the Shadowed Forest, including perhaps the steep cliffs of Knowtor itself. Knowtor, also known as _The Dragon's Lair_, is a near mythical and legendary place unseen or plotted in nearly five hundred years.

The city's residents are cautioned against traveling alone after dark and especially near the rim of the Shadowed Forest. The population is also warned to travel in groups greater than three during the day outside the city walls and to avoid any unnecessary attention from the air.

"Wow… they're really paranoid, aren't they?" Anna wondered aloud. There was no response. She looked up to see everybody at the table had stopped eating their breakfast to stare at her, including Gwen.

"What?"

"Well… yeah… I would think the city should be concerned about being attacked by dragons. Aren't you worried too?" Gabriel asked her.

Anna thought about her experience with the dragons during their attack on Lannete Cobstone.

"I believe there's a very good reason these creatures have left their nesting grounds. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm sure there's a logical explanation for what they're doing and it doesn't have anything to do with hunting the townspeople."

"So why did they attack Cobstone?"

Anna thought again. "I believe they were protecting what they believe is their territory. So long as we stay clear of the Shadowed Forest, I think they'll leave us alone.

THREE

The following Saturday, Anna found a note stuck to her door informing her that her detention for fighting with the Yolland girl would begin that night in Professor Qwaad's office. Anna was surprised. She was so accustom to having detention in the stables, it had become something of an expectation. She smirked as she wadded up the parchment. Apparently, her love of flying and caring for the horses was so obvious now that her days of going down to the stables as a form of punishment were over.

As Anna made her way to Qwaad's office that evening, the November winds howled through the castle corridors with such ferocity she found it hard to believe there were any windows closed to the approaching winter. She found the girl calling herself Nox leaning against the wall opposite Qwaad's door. She was wrapped tight and shivering in her robes. She looked up and smirked.

"Cold, ain't it?"

"Yeah, always is this time of year. You see Qwaad yet?" Anna asked her, looking over at the door.

"I knocked — no answer."

Anna took up a position on the wall next to the girl. They stood side-by-side, unable to dismiss the irony of quietness between them. Considering the fight that had put them in detention, Anna was surprised at the girl's rather serene demeanor. She avoided looking down at the first-year; she could tell the girl was uncomfortable sharing even this small piece of the wall next to her.

"Can I ask you something?" Nox inquired, not bothering to look up at her.

Anna paused, looking up almost longingly for Qwaad to open his door. "I suppose."

"What's all this Guardian stuff really about anyway?" The girl looked up at Anna and frowned. "Why are there so few of us? We seem to be the butt of every joke in this castle. Why is that?"

Anna frowned. "Well — most of the jokes are thanks to Professor Qwaad. Being consigned to janitor status isn't exactly buying us a lot of respect from the rest of the students."

"Qwaad is an idiot. Do you believe his reasons for giving us all of this cleaning work?"

"No."

"Me neither. What's his problem, then?"

Anna turned to face the girl. "One might ask you the same question. The way you act around here, it seems you have some kind of…"

"Shut up!"

Anna was stunned at the girl's sudden gush of hostility. She stared at her, trying to find the appropriate words in reply, knowing full well unless she was careful Qwaad might very well find them rolling around on the floor once more. Before she could respond, however, Anna was suddenly aware of the whispers reaching out from the wall and into her mind.

_Patience… Sithmaith. _

Anna glared at the stones mortared into the wall behind her. It was as if someone had rudely stopped what she wanted to say. She took a deep breath and then turned again to lean back against the wall. She could feel the other girl's stare almost daring her to reply.

"You're an idiot." Anna murmured uncaringly; and then, to her great surprise, the girl started to laugh.

"And you're a nosey, busy-body," she replied at the end.

"What exactly _is_ your problem?" Anna replied, finally turning to face the girl fully.

"The problem is… I don't want to be here?"

Anna was stunned again, but decidedly cold. "So… leave. If you don't like Castlewood…"

"I didn't say I didn't like it. It's just useless for me to be here, that's all."

Anna was irritated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

It was clear the girl was about to say something rude again, scarcely concealing her abhorrence at having to talk about anything she considered personal. She turned away from Anna and angrily rewrapped her chilled body with in her cloak.

"Never mind; it doesn't matter."

Just then Professor Qwaad came around the corner. "Ah… and here are my two little scoundrels. Follow me, please." He unlocked his office door with his wand and entered to motion them through. Once inside, the teacher stood before them with his hand outstretched. "I'll have your wands, if you don't mind."

Anna and the other girl looked puzzled at each other and then did as they were told. Taking their wands, Qwaad then walked to the front of his desk before turning to face them again. He smiled and then opened his bag to remove a small, metal tin, whose contents rattled in his hand. He opened the box, pinched a small bean from within and then flipped it at the Yolland girl. The bean bounced off of her robes and fell to the floor. The girl glared back at their teacher in surprise.

"You missed. Let's try that again, shall we?" Qwaad pinched another bean and threw it this time at Anna who snatched it out of the air before letting it hit her in the forehead.

"Quick reflexes — but you missed; the use of your hands is not allowed. Try again." He threw another bean at Anna once more, which hit her in the shoulder before falling to the floor and bouncing under the desk. "Missed again; I'll take one point from the Guardian Union."

"What?" Anna barked. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Stop it from hitting you, of course," Qwaad retorted, playfully. He threw another bean, harder this time, at Nox who immediately tried to duck to keep it from hitting her.

"Oops, missed again. Another point from the Guardians," Qwaad jibed.

Anna was fuming. "What do we have to do, Professor? How do we stop… _missing it_?"

Qwaad's smile abruptly fell and a look of serious skepticism betraying his careful manner. "With your mind, of course," he answered back in a suddenly haughty voice.

"With…" Anna stammered, "…with my mind? But you've taken our wands. What are we supposed to do without…?" Two more beans peppered her forehead.

"Two more points!" Qwaad chimed.

"Please… Professor, this isn't funny," Anna complained, as two more beans struck the other girl in the chest.

"There go two more points," Qwaad quipped. "Why were the two of you fighting?" Another bean hit Anna in the middle. She gritted her teeth in anger.

"I was trying to break up a fight," Anna fumed back.

"Really? Then… are you saying I should have a third Guardian standing in my office now?" Qwaad asked as he reached into his tin for more beans.

Anna didn't reply. She was seething in rage as she swatted away another bean with the back of her hand.

"You are very quick, aren't you? However… you're another point down." Qwaad glared at her. "You're not very good at this, are you?" He threw two more beans, hard this time, which hit the Nox in the cheek.

"Ouch!"

"Stop that!" Anna snarled back at him.

"No… I rather think you should stop it, Guardian. I know you have it in you to do it. Let's see you try," Qwaad answered calmly, as he reached into his tin once more. He reared back and Anna could see he was about to heave it forward with all of his strength.

"Don't!" Anna warned, raising the palm of her hand flat before him. Qwaad hesitated and then let them fly. Anna didn't move, but closed her eyes as several beans pelted her. The little pellets stung as they scattered across her face and body.

"I SAID STOP THAT!" Anna hollered, angrily. A low rumble was intermingled with her words from the lowest depths of her soul. Nox looked over at Anna in surprise at the sound of her voice now snarling its warning at the teacher. She could see Anna's entire body was trembling with rage as she thrust the palm of her hand forward again to stop the assault.

"That must have been at least 10 points that time. You're not working hard enough, Guardian. Use your mind to stop me. Why are you allowing me to hurt you and your friend like this?" He reared back again and threw a number of beans at Nox, who cowered to the side to keep from being struck in the face.

"I said… STOP IT!" Anna snarled back. Her mind was turning inward as the rage of what the man was doing began to overwhelm her senses. She could see him hesitate slightly as he reared back once more.

Qwaad's eye widened. He could see Anna's teeth were bared, suddenly fanged, and her eyes liquid black as she thrust her palms forward at him again. Astonished at the sight of her, he paused momentarily at the apex of his throw. The corners of his lips seemed to curl into a satisfied grin as he let the little beans fly.

"NO!" Anna screamed, and at once there was a flash of light from the palm of her broadened hand. Each of the beans flying toward her were instantly turned into ash in a glint of purple fire, which was followed by a wave of distorted pressure that blasted Qwaad back over the top of his desk to the wall on the other side and then down to the floor with a crash. Anna dropped her hand in shock, staring disbelievingly at Qwaad's cleared desk. She could see a trembling hand slowly reaching up from behind the toppled chair.

"Professor Qwaad!" Anna screamed. She ran to the other side in time to find Qwaad lifting himself to stand. "Professor! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I only meant to…"

"Enough!" Qwaad bellowed. He was grimacing as he righted his chair to sit. "Very… good, Guardian," he heaved with a wince of pain. He looked up at her. "Very good, indeed."

Anna was stunned, fully expecting to be expelled at any moment. She quickly came forward. "Are you all right, Professor? Are you hurt?"

Professor Qwaad looked down to inspect his robes. "Singed around the edges a bit, but… all-in-all… not too bad. He looked up at her again. "Now that… was _very_ impressive."

Anna frowned. "You… - what?"

The man smiled, glancing over at Nox and then back to Anna. "Fifty points will be awarded to the Guardian Union." He grinned again as he reached down to pick up his satchel from the floor. "I've been asked by the Minister of Magic to register all of the Guardians both here at Castlewood and those who have already left the school. You will fill out these forms now and that will conclude your detention tonight." He pulled out two small rolls of parchment and handed them to each of them.

Anna took the scroll without argument. Relieved to know she wouldn't be packing her trunk for an early trip home, she sat to fill out the forms. _What was this man doing?_ _Was he testing me? And what just happened? _Clearly, she had done some form of magic without the use of her wand. _But… how was that possible?_

Fifteen minutes later Anna was leaving Qwaad's office, wondering silently to herself who this man really was and what his true intensions were for the Guardians. "First, he puts all of the Guardians through the ringer with all this cleaning nonsense while playing friendly with Lieutenant Dunning, and then he's giving daddy important information. Now he's letting us off of detention and giving me fifty points after forcing some strange test of my abilities, but before he lets us go… he forces us to register for the Minister of Magic. What's this guy playing at?"

"Hey Grayson!" Anna turned to find Nox running to join her. Anna could see by the look on the girl's face she had a lot of questions.

"You headin' downstairs?"

Anna turned to continue walking. "I guess so."

There was a long moment of silence as the two girls headed down the corridor together. Finally, Nox asked her first question. "How did you do that?"

Anna kept walking. "Do what?"

"You know what; how did you blow Qwaad over the top of his desk without your wand? Did you have another wand in your pocket?"

"Of course not."

"Then how…?"

"Listen," Anna barked, quickly turning to face the girl, "why does it matter to you? You don't even want to be here, remember?" Anna turned to continue walking, but suddenly stopped to face her again. "And I would appreciate you not blabbing your big-fat mouth about what just happened in there."

"Why not? It was impressive. A spell without a wand; I've never heard of anybody doing that before. How did you do it?"

"I don't know how I did it, okay? So just… keep your mouth shut, Yolland. I don't want everybody thinking I'm some kind of freak." She continued down the corridor. "I get enough of that at home."

The girl continued walking by her side. "I know how that feels… to be thought of as some kind of oddity at home, I mean."

"I don't doubt that," Anna huffed.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the way I acted…" Nox started to say, but Anna, feeling frustrated at what had just happened in Qwaad's office, cut her short.

"I don't care, okay? I really don't. You have problems? Well… join the club. We're all just a couple of weirdoes in a castle full of nuts," Anna screeched, waving madly into the air around her. "Teachers throwing things in my face, Dunning changing me into a rat, people putting dead bodies in my path, Voldemort killing people again, my friends being attacked; it's all just peachy out there isn't it? You think you've got problems? Gimme a break! What problems would you have that can even compare to what I've seen over the last year? But who cares? We're just prisoners to the circumstances surrounding us, right?"

Anna turned again and stormed off. She almost made it to the end of the hallway when she heard the Nox declare, "I'm a prisoner too." Anna halted again, irritated. She turned to face the girl down the long hallway between them and could see the girl actually looked very upset.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Nox covered her face and even through the distance between them Anna could see the girl was crying. She heaved a long, reluctant breath and then came forward again.

"What's the matter now?" Anna said heatedly. The first-year continued to sob and Anna immediately felt consoling. "Listen, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just… you make it hard not to; you know?" Anna cautiously patted the girl on the shoulder. "I'm sorry… okay?"

Nox looked up at her. "You're such a sap, Grayson," she said coyly, smiling through her fake tears. Anna was shocked.

"Why you little…"

"Had you going, didn't I?" the girl said, laughing.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yep! But I like you, Grayson. You've got spunk."

"Well I'm happy I amuse you. Are we done now?"

"Hey… I said I was sorry," the girl replied defiantly.

"Yeah… and I can tell you really mean it too. I'm starting to believe you don't mean anything you say."

"Now you're catching on, Grayson. Now you're starting to see nothing around here really matters. It doesn't matter what we do now or after we leave this place. It's all been planned out for us in the end anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean? Nobody is planning out my life."

"Oh really? Then you must be one of the lucky ones, because people like me have all their choices made for them beginning from the day we're born. Nothing I do is ever going to matter."

"What — are you talking about?" Anna yelled back. The girl looked just as angry as Anna, but still seemed reluctant to speak freely.

"Listen, I don't know what's happening in your life, but you should know everybody in the Guardian Union cares about each other. There's too few of us not to watch out for each other, especially with people like Qwaad running around acting the nut. If you have something to say, then let's hear it. I more than anybody understand what it's like to feel alone. I grew up a squib, for God sake!"

Nox stared at her, an array of different emotions suddenly flooding onto her face.

"WELL?" Anna yelled.

"It's… complicated," the girl answered back.

"Whose life isn't complicated? Tell me!"

The girl turned to slowly walk down the hallway, looking around to insure nobody would hear them as she motioned Anna to follow her. "You said you were born a squib?" she asked Anna. "How is that possible? You're not a squib now."

"It's complicated," Anna shot back, also looking to insure they wouldn't be overheard.

Nox took a deep breath. "Well… I come from a whole town of squibs. Have you ever heard of a _scrub village_?"

"No… what's that?"

"It's a place where squibs live together. They still know about magic's existence and choose to live together because they're too proud to live their lives as the Muggles do."

"What?" Anna wondered in amazement. "I've never heard of it."

"Why would you? Nobody in the wizarding world cares; all they want to do is to get rid of us."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the Ministry of Magic is always working to wipe away everybody's memory of magic in a squib town, but by wizarding law they can't so long at one person in the town is a wizard and chooses to continue to live there."

Anna was stunned. "What? But that's… that's terrible. How can they do that to all of those people?"

Nox looked up at Anna and smirked. "They do it because they can. Who's going to stop them, a handful of powerless squibs?"

"But they haven't done this to your town yet, have they? You must have some wizards still living there; otherwise, from what you just said, they would have already wiped away their knowledge of magic."

The girl stopped and turned to look at Anna. "Yeah… there's one witch left."

Anna caught on immediately. "Oh my God… it's you… isn't it? You're the last one?"

"Yeah… lucky me, right?" She turned again and the two girls continued down the hall.

"Everybody living there just expects me to remain in that stupid one-horse town… so they won't have their memories wiped by the Ministry. I can't leave and live my own life and…" the girl hesitated, "I really hate that place."

"You hate your home town… but why? How can anybody hate a whole town?" Anna continued after her.

"Regardless of how nice a place it might be, wouldn't you hate the place where you were held a prisoner? How would you feel if you were forced to live within the boundaries of a single place? God… I hate them for doing this to me, for just… expecting I'll choose to stay."

"But… what about your parents? Surely they wouldn't have their memories wiped, would they? I mean — you're their daughter."

"No — mom and dad are safe. All the parents whose kids are in the book of births are told of magic's existence even if they're Muggles, but the rest would be wiped if I ever left town to live somewhere else after school."

"Oh my gosh… it's not fair… putting all of that on you. What if you wanted to get married and live somewhere else together? What if you wanted to live in his hometown? What if you were to…?"

"I can't'! Don't you get it? If I go — then I would be responsible for what happens to everybody. The people there have asked my mom and dad to try to convince me to remain there — and I hate that place! I don't want to be stuck for the rest of my life in some back hills hick of a town. I want to live my own life."

"Have your parents told you that you have to stay?"

"No… they wouldn't do that. They're leaving it up to me. But what choice do I really have? I can't go. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took off and the Ministry swooped in to wipe their memories, took away their heritage, and stole everything they knew of magic and their past. Some of their parents and grandparents were wizards and witches. Should they be forced to just forget about them?"

"But there has to be a way to stop this. Can't you complain to somebody? Can't the town do something to avoid this?"

"Yeah — they could all move out of town, disband and live with the Muggles and as far away from each other as possible. If they did that, then… yeah… the Ministry might leave them alone. But then the town would die. Everybody but my parents would be forced to leave."

Anna was astonished and bewildered. _How could the Ministry do such a thing?_

"I heard some of the other Guardians talking. They said you were related to the Minister of Magic. Is that true?" the girl asked her.

Anna looked at her and frowned. "No… Helawena Barkelnap is not a part of my family," she lied, scornfully.

"But… they said she was your aunt."

Anna turned angry. "Look — yes — the Minister is my aunt, okay? But we've had what you might call a serious falling out recently. The Minister has proven by her appointment of Qwaad to his post that she's no longer a member of my family or a friend to the Guardians. The last time I was in her office she all but threatened to lock me up."

"You were threatened by the Minister of Magic?" the girl asked her in surprise.

"That's right! So — as you can plainly see — my going to Barkelnap, looking to rescue some small town in the middle of nowhere might not be the best idea you've had."

As they continued down the hallway, the two girls grumbled through their troubled thoughts. Finally, Nox smiled and then whispered, "Threatened by the Minister herself, huh? I knew there was a reason I liked you, Grayson."

They turned the corner together and disappeared and the hallway behind them darkened. The bracketed torches, sensing little movement in the passageway, sputtered and dimmed, but suddenly brightened to full again. A small figure stepped out from behind one of the curtains covering the window at the corridor's end. Sarah Bell quickly moved down the hallway and stopped at Qwaad's door to quietly listen against its planks. She sneered disapprovingly and then turned to secretly follow Anna back to the Guardian Hall.

159


	15. Chapter 13 - The Gathering

Chapter 13D07

Chapter 13 (draft 07)

The Gathering

ONE

The next morning, Anna found another note stuck to her door. This time it was from her brother, Eric.

_Anna, Father is leaving for home this evening and he wants to meet with us before his departure. Please come to my apartment at five o'clock tonight. Trog will meet you at the drawbridge to escort you into the city. Love, Eric._

TWO

A pair of covered eyes peered up through tattered garments from a gloomy corner where the alley attached itself to the walk. He was watching the shadows moving across the draped window high above him across the street. He could see the gathering in the apartment on the topmost floor was going to be important. Judging by those he saw entering the building earlier, he knew there were valuable secrets being shared between those he called his _keys to freedom_.

"What are they doing up there, I wonder?" the cursed man whispered to himself. He looked around his hiding place wearily. He had learned long ago that to spy in secret, one must first insure they themselves were not being watched. "The young one will be here soon; I am sure of it," he said eagerly, as he fell back into the shadows to wait.

THREE

"Anna will be here shortly, father, she's bringing escorted by a Crimson Guard from of the castle."

Mister Grayson was standing by one of the windows facing the city, looking furtively down at the streets below through a crack in the curtain. "Good. I wanted to speak to all of you before my daughter arrives." He turned to see Sidney Heidelbach and Captain Hayman standing in the room next to Eric.

"Sidney… I appreciate you're traveling back and forth to Spellsburg, but I'm afraid for you here. The business we have outstanding with the bank's clientele is no longer important enough to put you at risk. Anything outstanding should be left to the rest of my wizarding staff."

Sidney looked surprised. "Yes, Director. If you believe that is best, I can turn over anything unsettled to Greechins immediately. There are only those items pertinent to Mayor Prowler's investments anyway."

"I agree with you, father. I believe Mr. Heidelbach should leave the city first thing in the morning. If you like, I can close your business with Ulric myself." He looked at Sidney. "I don't think it's safe for you to be here anymore."

Captain Hayman stepped forward. "Why? What is this new information you said you've acquired, Director?"

"Please, John, call me Boris. Now that you're with us we shouldn't be standing on any formalities."

"Thank you… sir. I'm honored you feel that way."

Mister Grayson nodded. "Now then, to answer your question as directly as I can, my source here in the city has told me that your Lieutenant Dunning is being very noisy about Sidney's comings and goings and those he's seen while visiting in the city. I'm afraid Dunning might be inadvertently drawing too much attention to Sidney while he's here."

Eric seemed to bristle as he turned to the captain. "Can't you do something about Dunning, John? He's continually making himself a nuisance in our family business. He shouldn't be bothering Sidney or anybody else in the city. He should still in the castle where he belongs. What's he playing at?"

Captain Hayman shook his head. "I know the Graysons and Gregory Dunning have had their problems in the past when he was Captain of the Guard, but you'll just have to trust me when I tell you, deep down, he really is a good man. While it's true we've had our disagreements, his largest fault has always been the level of seriousness that he took to the matters regarding his post." Hayman looked at Mister Grayson. He could see the veins in Boris Grayson's neck were thick with controlled rage as he stepped forward to reply.

"John — I understand why you would feel reluctant to condemn the man. After all, you had no ambition to replace Dunning as Captain, and I'm impressed you would try so hard to find the good in him. I admire the strength of your loyalty. But at the risk of my own soul before God, I cannot forgive the man for what's he's done to my family. Too much has happened for that now." Mister Grayson drew a calming breath. "Perhaps in time…"

"I'll never forgive him for what he's done," Eric blistered. "Victoria Grayson didn't deserve his lack of care in Drogo!"

Hayman still seemed reluctant to agree. "I… understand how you must feel…"

"Then get rid of him!" Eric demanded. "I'll never understand why Thordarson was so adamant to keep him on anyway."

"Enough about Dunning," Mister Grayson said, motioning to the others to join him as he pulled a chair back at the table to sit. "We have more important matters to discuss before Anna gets here."

They all sat and Mister Grayson seemed to be struggling with his emotions and Eric could tell something important was coming.

"What is it, father. What's the matter?" Mister Grayson looked up at his son and then came forward to whisper the terrible truth.

"Anna is in very grave danger while she's here at Castlewood." He let his words settle on them for a few seconds before continuing. "Reliable sources have informed me that Voldemort… wants her."

Eric was stunned. "Father… surely not! Who would say such a thing? Who would dare…?"

Mister Grayson held up a hand to stop his son. He thought about Igor Kakaroff's cave and what it must have cost the ex-Death Eater to relay the truth about Voldemort's ambitions against his youngest daughter.

"I can only tell you this information comes directly from someone who put his life on the line to deliver it to me. We must insure that Anna is never left unguarded, especially while she's in the city."

There was a long pause before Captain Hayman leaned forward. "I will do everything in my power, Boris. Even now, her escort is waiting to bring her to this meeting. She will be safe in his care, I can guarantee it. The ogre would give his life for this duty, but he would suffer the untold agonies of hell before he let somebody harm your daughter. He has a bond with Anna Grayson unlike anything I've ever seen in his kind. He… is more than affectionate of her in ways that simply defy explanation."

"He's right, father; Trog is extremely powerful and highly magical. He wouldn't let anybody near Anna without a fight to the death."

Mister Grayson's worried concerned seemed to dissipate before their eyes. "An ogre?" He reached out to shake Hayman's hand. "Thank you, John. I appreciate your personal attention in this matter. I know my daughter seems somewhat gifted in her own abilities, but she lacks experience and has a very serious character flaw that can sometimes make her a danger to herself."

Hayman's brow rose. "If, by example, you mean tramping off into the Shadowed Forest by herself to find Sidney here, you're right."

Heidelbach looked irritably at Hayman. "The girl was absolutely courageous, brave beyond her years. I owe her my life."

"Yes — courageous possibly to a fault," Mister Grayson returned. "She should never be allowed to go into the forest again."

"Agreed," Eric and Hayman said together.

Eric leaned in. "But why would You-Know-Who want her, father? I don't understand."

Mister Grayson shook his head. "I can only speculate, but it would seem he's always had an ambition to gather power to himself by whatever means necessary. What's happening here with the Guardians of Castlewood must be a concern to him. And now with Victoria's escape…" He looked at Eric and his son could tell he was being careful not to say anything about Anna's trip to Drogo in front of Hayman.

Eric nodded his understanding and then turned to the captain. "So… how goes the investigation of the Wendell murder?"

Hayman seemed taken aback by the abrupt turn in their conversation. He shook his head. "Not very well, I'm afraid." The man looked at Anna's father. "It would seem somebody went to a lot of trouble to make Anna look like the killer; any ideas why that might be?"

Mister Grayson looked worried. "That's the question that's been keeping me up at night. It really doesn't seem like You-Know-Who's style. If the Dark Lord or one of his followers were close enough to engineer something like this, why wouldn't they just take her?" He paused to think. "No… this is something different; something completely diverse." He looked at Hayman again. "Any chance it might be related to Anna giving you the hideout of these so-called smugglers?"

The Captain nodded. "That's Lieutenant Mantos's theory too. I'm still getting daily reports about his investigation into the murder and why it would seem Anna has been singled out for blame."

"Is it possible this murder had nothing to do with Anna?" Eric breathed, hopefully. "Swooper's stall is deepest within the stables. If somebody was going to hide a body, that might be the most logical place in the building to do it."

Hayman looked unconvinced at the other three men around the table. "I believe… it would be a mistake to think all of this is unrelated. This murder and the news of You-Know-Who's ambitions about Anna have to be connected. You will recall the stranger Anna said tried to warn her away from the stables? This same man also said Victoria Grayson was here, hiding somewhere in the Shadowed Forest. He said she has returned to thwart You-Know-Who's attempts capture or harm Anna." The man leaned back. "We must assume these plots are related and it's up to me to understand how."

There was another worried silence in the room before Mister Grayson spoke again. "John, I'm putting so much on you to protect my family here on the plateau. I can't thank you enough for all you're doing."

Hayman nodded.

"My forced return to Los Angeles is troubling," Mister Grayson continued. "It would seem the Minister of Magic is doing all she can to keep me away from Castlewood."

"But why, father? Why would Minister Barkelnap do such a thing?"

Mister Grayson shook his head. "Because she doesn't want her Directors anywhere near Thordarson right now." He leaned forward in his chair again. "She's drafted a new edict scheduled for release tomorrow that takes away the Chancellor's ability to hire and fire any teachers from the school without her direct approval. She got the idea from the Minister in England, who did the same thing a few months ago at Hogwarts."

"Thordarson and Dumbledore can't hire anybody?" Hayman said in astonishment.

"That's right, but I don't think Thordarson was surprised by the Minister's move. Dumbledore must have warned him something like this could happen. He knows Cornelius Fudge and Helawena Barkelnap are very close, going back to her days when she was our ambassador to England." He fell back again. "And there have been more firings at the Ministry in Washington again this week. A couple of Aurors were sacked because of their open and verbal support for Dumbledore."

"This is ridiculous, Father," Eric complained. "When is the Ministry going to come to its senses on this? Everybody seems to have their heads in the sand about Voldemort's return. Even the Mayor is trying to warn me off about working as a teacher at the school. He even offered me a job in his office to get me away from Thordarson."

Mister Grayson looked surprised. "A… job? What kind of job?"

"I don't know; some stupid thing to help him prepare for his reelection campaign next year. When I turned him down, he warned it might be best for me to go back to California rather than to continue my studies under Thordarson."

"He offered me a job too," Sidney piped in quickly. Everybody turned to stare disbelievingly at him. He then smiled and then shrugged to say, "But I think that had more to do with what he believed to be my talents in growing his investments more than what he's been accustomed to in the past."

Eric looked exasperated. "The Mayor is in the Minister's pocket. He'll do anything to keep her support, especially with next year's city election coming up. And he's completely against anything having to do with the Guardians now. He keeps reassuring me that it wasn't my fault I became a Guardian last year, that everybody understands I was just doing what I could to support Anna."

"Ulric is harmless," Mister Grayson said. "He's a politician, and he's simply doing what politicians generally do."

"Looking out for his own-personal best interests," Hayman mumbled disapprovingly.

There was another pause before Sidney spoke. "There was one other thing I need to report to you, Director."

"Yes?"

"The Auror Shacklebolt wanted me to inform you that the trail to _Wormtail_… has grown cold, sir, and there have been no further attempts to contact me by this man on You-Know-Who's behalf. He said the Aurors raided the house by the lake and found it empty except…" Sidney paused.

"Yes? What did they find, Sidney?" Mister Grayson said, coming forward quickly at their table.

Sidney took a deep and reluctant breath. "Shacklebolt said they found… several long, red hairs stuck between the wooden floorboards in a back room and… he said there was some blood."

Anna was waiting on the castle side of the drawbridge at four-thirty when Trog arrived and they immediately fell onto the street together. The evening was cold and windy and giving way to the darkness, which had come noticeably early that evening. Once again the ogre's presence by her side cut a wide swath through the busy cobblestone streets, but when a sudden panic moved the crowd hurriedly to one side, Anna knew it wasn't because of her escort's imposing stature. She looked up to see a large Vipertooth circling one of the castle's turrets in the early moonlight. It let out a bellowing screech before turning to head back into the forest.

"The flying ones are enraged again this evening, they are," Trog said knowingly, as he squinted to look up into the darkening sky. Anna knew Trog was right. Even from a distance, she could feel the dragon's enduring rage.

"Yes… they are very angry," she said, looking up at him. "Do you know why the dragons are so upset, Trog? Why are they here?"

The giant looked down at her through the slits of his silken mask. She could see he was smiling. "You can feel their storm, can you?"

Anna nodded. "Yes."

The ogre looked up again and watched the Vipertooth disappear over the shadowed forest. "They seek those who steal their eggs."

Anna's mouth dropped. "Of course," she whispered in final understanding. "I knew there was something more to their attack than the excuse given by the newspapers. They're protecting their nests from the poachers."

Trog dropped his head remorsefully. "Yes… Captain Hayman calls them smug-glers. Very dangerous wizards, they are."

Anna looked at her escort with renewed wonder. "Do know who they are, Trog? Do you know where they're going to steal the eggs?"

Trog suddenly looked hesitant. Finally, he said, "Yes… Trog knows where the nests are, he does. It is two mountains away, left of the sun's morning rise," he replied, pointing to the north. The gentle giant smiled mischievously. "Trog hides smug-glers path to the cliffs many times, he has, so the bad wizards always get lost. But they find their way back… eventually, they do."

Anna was almost trampled as she quickly moved in Trog's path. "We have to stop them, Trog. They can't be allowed to continue stealing the eggs!"

Trog looked down at the girl standing before him. Unlike most of the humans walking around them in that moment, the creature knew a lot about the one they called Anna Grayson. Being a highly magical creature himself, he could read the signs all around him, but especially when he was at home in the forest and alone in his cave. This child was very important to the _whispering ones_, but also to the voices he sometimes devoted himself to listening during the clearest nights — when the centaurs looked to the heavens and gazed upon the stars. The voices spoke of the Sithmaith, their protector of the terrible things to come. Being in the girl's presence more than most creatures, he could feel her strength and her understanding and her unknowing embrace of the whispering ones. The ogre's eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. The girl was so small, too frail to act so uncaringly about herself. She was much too important to allow anything to happen to her. Her greatest battles still lie ahead.

"We?" Trog finally said in a challenging tone. "Who is this _we_ you speak of, little one, who?"

"You and… and… me." Ann replied, quickly realizing how silly her words must have sounded to the giant before her. "And… well… anyone else on this mountain who care about the dragons."

The ogre lowered an accusing finger at her. "Is not your place to care about such things right now, no. These smug-glers are dangerous, they are."

Anna stared at him. "What about Captain Hayman? Surely he should know about what these men are really doing."

Trog frowned again. "Trog has told the captain all he knows, he has. But I do not know when the bad men will come into the forest again, and it is too dangerous for the Crimson Guard to remain in the woods overnight." Trog turned and they continued to walk down the city street.

"Perhaps you and I could…"

"No!" Trog bellowed, stopping again to glare down at her. "Is too dangerous, it is."

"But I went into the forest to help Sidney a few months ago…"

"No!"

Anna glared at him. There was a long pause before Anna spoke again. "I'm not afraid."

The giant leaned down to point an enormous sausage-like finger at her. "You should be, little one. It is no wise to be uncaring about such things. You do not understand; it's most unwise indeed, it is." He straightened. "The Crimson Guard will stop these men, they will."

Unconvinced, Anna followed Troy as he continued on.

"But how are they going to stop them if they won't go into the forest? If the smugglers are brave enough to go in for profit, then I should think the Crimson Guard would do so for justice."

"Over the centuries, many of those who have entered the forest for profit and justice are dead now, they are." Anna slowed as Trog looked down at her. "Most were eaten, they were, and sometimes… their fate… was very slow."

They entered an old sandstone building seated in the middle of a dark alleyway.

"Here is where you brother lives. He is on the top floor, he is. Come."

Anna followed Trog up the winding staircases and the wood groaned bitterly under the ogre's heavy boots. They finally arrived at the top and found Eric waiting for them at an open door.

"Over here, Anna. Thank you for bringing her, Trog," her brother said, shaking the ogre's huge hand.

"No trouble, there was not," Trog replied as he ducked low under the door's header to enter Eric's flat.

"I wouldn't expect there would be with you on the job, Trog," Captain Hayman added with a smile.

"Hello pumpkin," came a familiar voice, as Anna entered the small apartment behind her escort. She smiled at her father coming toward her.

"Eric says you're leaving tonight, daddy. Do you have to go so soon?"

Her father hugged her. "I'm afraid so. It would seem the Minister is working to make sure I'm kept busy in Los Angeles these days." Anna saw her father look at Eric covertly before turning once more to Trog. "I'd like to personally thank you, sir, for keeping my daughter safe," Mister Grayson said, reaching up to shake the giant's hand.

"Trog can be most useful, he can," the ogre replied shyly.

"More than useful, Trog. You've been invaluable to my family."

Anna could see Trog was smiling under his mask.

"Trog will guard the door outside, he will, and then escort the little one back to the castle when she is ready."

Mister Grayson and Captain Hayman thanked him as Eric showed the creature to the door again. Anna turned to find Sidney Heidelbach smiling at her.

"Hello Mr. Heidelbach…" he immediately scowled back at her, "oh… I mean… Sidney."

He smiled again as he came around to kiss her hand.

"My dear, young lady; the pleasure in meeting you again is all mine." Anna blushed.

After Eric returned to the group, he found his sister looking about his apartment.

"So where is he?" Anna asked him expectantly.

Eric signed and then slowly turned to scout around before noticing something moving like a mole beneath the carpet near the fireplace. Grumbling under his breath, he walked over to the edge of the rug and pulled its corner back. The baby vipertooth snapped up to look at him. Wagging its tail happily, the tiny dragon threw his head back to let out a raspy little screech.

"Yes-yes, I found you," Eric said gruffly, "now get out of there."

Anna smiled as the small bat-like creature bounded with surprising skill and half flapped onto a curtain. Jumping from one hanging to the next, it finally landed with a crash on the mantel of the fireplace.

"Get off of there, you little menace!" Eric demanded, waving angrily at the dragon now sniffing at a small bowl of candy on the mantel's wooden corner. It jerked back with a disapproving snort at the bowl's contents and then sneezed a yellow glop of slime into its bottom. The sneeze crackled and popped, and then sparked into a frothing, green frame. Sniffing again with displeasure at the bowl's burning contents, the dragon knocked it over uncaringly to the floor with one of his hooked thumbs.

"Hey… stop that!" Eric fumed. The baby dragon squawked loudly again, and then snapped at Eric's back as he stooped to collect the toppled bowl. Anna's brother looked up again and pointed a threatening finger. "If you don't behave yourself — you're out of here."

"I thought I told you to get rid of that thing," Hayman reminded him.

"Oh… he's not hurting anything," Anna cut in reasonably, walking over to the mantel.

"Not hurting anything? Are you kidding me?" Eric snarled back. "He's eating me out of my own apartment. If not for the fact that Hobbs keeps a steady stream of rats and squirrels coming in here day and night, I think he'd eat me too. Not to mention the fact that's he's a thief! He keeps a hollow for himself in the back room inside one of the walls. He uses it to stash all the shiny stuff in the apartment. I've given up trying to keep my watch out of his reach."

Mister Grayson laughed. "It's a good thing you don't have any jewelry around. If he finds it you'll have a real fight getting it back. The legends of their hoarding valuable gems to protect their soft underbellies aren't far from the truth."

"Yeah… well…" Eric looked at Hayman again, "I want him out of here more than anybody. He's about as easy to live with as a herd of hippogriff… and the smell… did you know their droppings are highly combustible? I'm afraid to leave him alone anymore."

Anna huffed as she walked over and reached out to the dragon, which was now crawling up the stone of the fireplace toward the ceiling. His hooked claws and thumbs were surprisingly nimble as he looked down to squawk at her.

"Come her, Taurus," she cooed, reaching out to him.

"Be careful, Anna," Eric warned her. "Those teeth are sharp."

"Oh — he wouldn't hurt me. Come here, boy. You're getting big." Anna reached up and gently pulled the little creature away from the wall and then cuddled him close to her chest. To everybody's astonishment, the dragon started to mimic Anna's coo as he dipped his head into her robes and then crawled inside."

"Taurus?" Mister Grayson said with a frown.

"That's what I named him. TJ said he reminded her of their pet bull back in Texas."

"Well — if those horns get any bigger — he'll be as ugly as he is destructive," Hayman commented appraisingly.

"Anna," her father said, motioning her toward the table, "have a seat, sweetheart. We have important things we need to discuss."

Anna could tell by the serious tone of his voice that she should obey without question. She sat down and then put a hand into her robes to sooth the squawking dragon still clinging to her chest. The rest of the group circled the table to sit. Her father was the last to seat himself; he seemed to be contemplating on how to approach the subject that had brought his daughter to their meeting.

"Anna, I need to ask you a favor. And before you immediately say yes," he said motioning to her to stop, "let me explain what I need and tell you up front you have every option to say no."

Anna stared at her father, and then turned to look at Eric and the others sitting around her. "It has something to do with the Order of the Phoenix, doesn't it?" She looked at her father again. "It's Dumbledore; he wants something, doesn't he?"

Mister Grayson smiled coyly. Once again, he was taken by how much his daughter reminded him of Victoria. Magical or not, Anna's insight was as shrewd as it was quick.

"Yes, it does. I know your birthday is just a few days away, and I apologize for not being able to share the day with you…"

Anna frowned. "That's okay, daddy. Your gifts were wonderful. I just hope I'll get to use Swooper's new saddle blanket before we leave for the summer holiday. And you must tell Gabby I love the new slippers she made for me."

Mister Grayson continued. "Sweetheart, I need to know: What are your intentions this year regarding… your kaleidoscope?"

Anna frowned again. As quick as her brain had been working in the background to figure out what was coming, she hadn't expected this. She quickly glanced around the table again. "Do they all know about…?"

"About the magical power of the scope?" Her father replied quickly. "Yes, they do. Eric was there with you, of course, when you first discovered the kaleidoscope's ability, and the subject of what could be done with such a treasure came up during our last meeting with the Order. Captain Hayman was at that meeting as well."

Anna stared at the captain across from her. "You? You're now a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" she asked in amazement.

Captain Hayman's face remained impassive as he nodded.

"What were you planning to ask the scope on your birthday, Anna?" her father continued.

Anna thought and then, quite suddenly, she knew what her father was going to ask of her. At first she was surprised and then distrustfully suspicious. She leaned back and crossed her arms in her stereotypical pose of rebellion and the dragon could be heard squawking under her robes again.

"I hadn't decided." Anna lied.

Her father looked at her almost knowingly. "Honey, we all want to know if your mother is safe, and having that information might also lead to us understanding more about what happened to the man who was murdered in the stadium." He paused cautiously. "But… I believe we must set aside our personal needs for the sake of others."

Anna scowled. It was obvious her father believed she would ask the Verosapt about her mother's whereabouts. _Why was he asking her to do this?_ She knew exactly what was coming, but she also knew her father had a deeper concern she didn't understand.

"Anna, we can't afford to guess at anything at this point. People are dying by Voldemort's hand and command. We must know where he is, exactly where he's hiding. Nothing is more important to the Order of the Phoenix and to the Wizarding community as a whole than this information. If we knew where he was then perhaps we could also find your mother. Everything else we're trying to do hinge on locating and capturing him unaware." Her father paused. "Dumbledore wants to know… will you help us?"

Suddenly, Anna knew exactly what was concerning her father more deeply than the question itself. It was Dumbledore. This was something Dumbledore wanted. Immediately, a burning anger began to rise deep within Anna's chest, and she slowly stood to show her rebellion. She glared down at Eric and could see it in his posture; he wouldn't even look at her.

"How could you?" Anna growled down at her brother. "Eric… look at me. Did you agree to this meeting — knowing they would ask this of me? Did you know about this?"

Eric finally looked up at his sister and the pain in his face told her all she wanted to know.

"You did!" Anna shouted. "You… the first Guardian at the school after me? You?" Without thinking, Anna turned and headed for the door.

"Anna — please — stop," her father pleaded, standing at the table. His daughter turned to face him. "Please… sit down… just hear us out. Please… I beg you."

For a moment, Anna didn't move. Her anger was still rising.

"I don't understand," Hayman finally said, also rising from his seat at the table to look at both Mister Grayson and Anna. "If Anna has a magical device that can tell us where _You-Know-Who_ is, then we should use it to find him." He looked at Mister Grayson who was still beckoning his daughter to rejoin the table. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is…" Eric lamented, still looking down at the table, "Dumbledore is asking Anna and the rest of the Guardians to take sides in the conflict. He's asking Anna to use a magical device to favor his position against Voldemort."

"So? What of it? We're all against this maniac, right? We all want him stopped," Hayman replied.

Eric looked at him in bewilderment. "You don't understand, John."

"Understand what?" Hayman barked, his voice climbing higher. "Listen, I didn't joint the Order under any misconceptions. I knew what I was really doing was putting both myself and my family at risk. A Death Eater could kill any of us at any moment if they knew what I was doing. I assumed everybody who knew what I did in joining this group felt the same way. Are you saying now I was wrong?"

"Eric and Anna are not members of the Order, John," Mister Grayson said. "In Erc's case, I won't allow it and…"

"And because some of us should know better than to take sides," Anna snapped, still staring down at her brother. "How could you?"

"Anna, I never said I agreed to come to you about using the scope." Eric said, finally looked up at his sister. "You have to believe me — this wasn't my idea."

"But you knew what they wanted. You knew what they were going to ask me. You could have said no before they called me in here!"

"It was my idea, Anna," her father interrupted. "I told Dumbledore I would make this request of you myself. Eric had nothing to do with it."

"You want me to give them the information, don't you?" Anna said, scowling down at her brother. "You think I should give them what they want." She lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Of all the people – Dumbledore! He was the one who just two months ago said I should remain to the side in all of this and now he wants us to betray what we are!"

Eric finally stood. "Anna, I can't tell you what you should do, but yes, I am at odds with our not taking sides here. For a short period of time, Victoria was my mother too, and the thought of what Voldemort did to her sickens me. I also know our father's life is in danger, and so is Tencha, Dowla, Damon and everybody else in this room. So what do you want me to say? I know better than anybody what it means to be a Guardian, but can you honestly say if our father were about to be killed by Voldemort you wouldn't try and stop him?"

"Of course I would," Anna yelled back. "I would never allow anything to happen to daddy, but that doesn't mean these magical objects should be abused in this fight."

"Not abused, Anna — used."

"Abused! I won't help Dumbledore and he should have known better than to ask; I won't ask the Verosapt to spy on Voldemort. That's not their purpose."

"Are you saying this because you truly believe the scope would be harmed, or because you would prefer to use whatever device this is to find your mother?" Hayman asked her.

Anna scowled back at him.

Her father broken in again, "Anna. I didn't mean to upset you. As I said before — you can say no. I would never force you to go against your convictions on this, even if it meant saving lives. There are still a few more days before your birthday. All I ask… is that you think about it."

Anna looked at him skeptically.

"Please… just tell me you'll consider what's at stake."

Anna looked down at the floor and gritted her teeth. Knowing she would always say no to such a request, she agreed only to end the conversation. "Okay… I'll… think about it." Her father came around the table and finally put his arms around his daughter to hug her.

"I know to you this feels wrong, but sometimes right and wrong are not black and white. I hope you understand why I'm asking this of you. I couldn't live with myself knowing I refused to try and I believe Dumbledore feels the same way. But I promise… I will respect whatever decision you make, and if you say no… we won't speak of it again."

Anna finally lifted her arms to hug her father back and the dragon between them squawked again.

A few minutes later, Anna was walking back to Castlewood beside Trog. Having said goodbye to her father before his trip back to California, she wasn't sure she was unhappy to see him go. How could her father ask this of her, to choose between saving lives at the risk of her loyalty to magic? But how could she not help them? She remembered Merlin's prayer. _And there I, their repentant leader stood, praying mercy's pardon for our inaction in the greatest times of need. _

But there was something else worrying Anna. It was very concerning to know that her father and Dumbledore wanted her to use the Verosapt to find Voldemort, but they also were assuming they knew the question she wanted to ask. They thought she naturally wanted to ask about her mother, but that was wrong. It wasn't her mother or Voldemort that Anna wanted to find; it was her Ally.

Leola Grayson was suffering, held a prisoner in some unknown location for trying to keep Anna and her family safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Anna knew above everything else, she had to find her Ally. She didn't understand why this was so important to her, but she knew beyond anything else that Leola Grayson was vastly more important than what she, Anna, currently understood. How could she tell her father this truth? No… she could never do that. For it also meant telling him Victoria had murdered Leola Grayson. She wondered if Leola, even in her current state, would want her to tell her father this awful secret, even if it meant ending her suffering.

Trog could see Anna was troubled and thought to offer whatever comfort his could to her when somebody from behind them called out.

"Miss Anna?"

Anna turned and the ogre immediately stepped between the Guardian and the approaching man. Anna leaned over to see Sidney coming quickly up the sidewalk.

"Could I have a word, please?" he asked, trotting forward with his umbrella in his hand.

"It's okay, Trog, Anna told the ogre reassuringly. Sidney is a friend." The ogre looked at the approaching man again and reluctantly nodded.

"I thought my father said you were leaving the city, Sidney"

The Muggle caught up to them and nodded. "I am. My boat leaves tomorrow morning. If you wouldn't mind, could we walk together? My hotel is in your direction." Sidney looked up at the masked guard beside them. "Given what your father told me tonight, I think being in the company of your friend here would ah… put my mind a little more at ease."

Anna frowned, and then quickly tried to smile at the man. "Of course," Anna answered reassuringly, and the three continued up the cobbled sidewalk together, Sidney walking leisurely by Anna's side, while Trog followed a few paces behind.

"I also wanted to ask you a something, Anna." The man paused and then looked around warily. A strange mumbled sound was coming from a cracked window in the row-home next to the walk; somebody was uttering a spell in the adjoining kitchen. Sidney's pace quickened.

"I recently learned that you grew up as… well… as a… ah… a _regular_ person. I mean… a non-magical person."

"A Muggle?" Anna answered quickly, trying to help the man with the appropriate term.

"Yes — yes, exactly. A Muggle," Sidney nodded. He looked at Anna. "Since you say the word so openly, I would assume then it is not a profanity to repeat in public?"

Anna was somewhat surprised. "Uh… no. The word is used everywhere in the Wizarding world to describe non-magical people."

"Fine… very good, then." Sidney thought for a moment and then, "If you please… I'd like to know… how did you feel about growing up within the circumstances given you? I mean… being around so many magical people… without…"

"_Alohomora!"_ said a man, pointing his wand at a locked gate in front of them. Sidney watched the lock spring open and the man step inside. He looked at Sidney as they walked and Anna could see the surprised expression on the wizard's face.

Sidney nodded pleasantly to the man and, when he was confident they couldn't be heard again, turned once more to Anna. "Being around so many magical people, without the ability to do magic yourself had to be difficult."

Anna suddenly realized where Sidney was going with his questions, and she immediately found herself feeling sorry for the man.

"Yes — it was difficult. Sometimes… unbearable," Anna admitted truthfully.

Her answer seemed to confirm something within the man's thoughts. They continued to walk up the hill toward the castle now coming into full view before them.

"I find myself very ill at ease within the magical world." He looked down at Anna again. "And ah… well… if the truth were told… I've always been somewhat afraid ever since I first found out about wizards."

Anna tried to smile. "I understand, Sidney. I wouldn't say I was afraid when I was growing up with my family, but if I had to come to a place like this without the ability to do magic… I can certainly understand how that would make you feel uncomfortable."

A couple in dark cloaks walking arm-and-arm was approaching them. They were giggling as they held each other close, but immediately stopped laughing when they saw Sidney and Anna coming toward them. The couple stared in quiet astonishment at Sidney as they passed. Anna even caught them whispering to one another as they looked back.

"Do magical people have the ability to read a person's mind?" Sidney asked fearfully, as he turned to look back at the couple behind them. He could see they were still watching them.

Anna frowned. "No… not that I've ever heard; I know I can't."

Sidney looked at her again. "But they somehow know… that I'm not… you know… a wizard?"

Anna smiled. "Well… yes… that is rather obvious."

Sidney stopped suddenly. "How? How is it obvious?"

Anna looked at him appraisingly. "There's nothing magical about it, Sidney. Most of the time it's in the manner it which you wear your clothes."

Sidney looked down at his garments in disbelief, and Anna could tell of all the ways the man thought wizards might have detected the fact that he was non-magical, his attire had never entered his mind.

"My clothes?" he said in startled surprise. "What's the matter with my clothes?"

Anna laughed as she stepped up to brush some of the soot off of Sidney's shoulders and then smoothed his finely tailored lapels. She looked down at his expensive, mirrored shoes, and perfectly waxed laces in signature bows. "Nothing is wrong with your clothes, Sidney. You look absolutely dashing… for a Muggle."

"They can tell I'm a Muggle… by what I wear?" he answered back, looking around them again in astonishment.

"Yes, they can. Haven't you noticed how different you look than everybody else here in the city?" Anna said with a giggle.

"Well… they all do seem to wear clothing that's… well… I don't know…"

"Dated?"

He evaluated the expression and then smiled. "Yes… exactly." Then he seemed to catch himself. "But not all the wizards I've met are that way. Your father, for example, is exactly what the fashion conscious might call sheik in his manner of dress."

"Well that's because he's worked very, very hard at it. After all, he can't stand out as being something of a weirdo when he's interacting with the Muggles in public."

Sidney finally smiled and then turned to continue their walk. "But it's not just what they wear that seems dated to me; it's their entire way of life," Sidney persisted. "For example, look at these street lamps." He pointed at the flames glowing softly within a glass globe atop the pole. "These fixtures must be at least a hundred years old. Why wouldn't they electrify them?"

"Because magic and electricity don't exist all that well together. According to daddy, Wizards and Muggles once lived their lives roughly the same way right up until the beginning of the industrial age. Once the Muggles had created and learned to control electricity, however, they were able to improve their lives in so many ways that wizards could not. Since most wizards cannot use electricity, they've kind of been stuck in time… unable to take advantage of human evolution in the way Muggles have, especially in the ways that would be incompatible with magic."

"I supposed that's why your father is continuously battling with those working on his elevator?" Sidney observed.

"Exactly! But it's more than just getting an elevator to work properly. Father has electrified several parts of our house where he can, and he has continually tried to find ways to allow electricity and magic to co-exist. By doing so, he believes he can bring the wizarding world back in line with human evolution. But as the non-magical population advances to use science in those areas were they couldn't use magic, the wizards of the world find themselves farther and farther behind. It's like they're stuck in a time long passed.

"Daddy says that as more time goes by, the more wizarding kind will become isolated, cast farther and farther behind; he believes wizards and witches are dying a slow death."

Sidney stared at Anna in surprise. "Yes, I see that now. Thank you, Anna. This has been most enlightening." They walked together a bit farther, before Sidney said, "The more I learn about your father, the more I find myself admiring him."

Anna smiled and then noticed a storefront familiar to her. _The Wompum Emporium_, makers of fine robes and clothing.

"That's what you need, Sidney," Anna said, pointing to a set of fine robes draped over the shoulders of a dressmaker's mannequin. Here…" Anna moved Sidney in front of the window so that his reflection cast the robes over his image in the glass. "You'd look good in robes." She could see him straining to see and then his eyes widen.

"Yes…" he mumbled. "Of course… brilliant!" He looked back at Anna and then up at the sign above the shop door. "I'll visit this place again in the morning before my departure," he said excitedly.

"A set of black robes would set your dark hair off very well, I should think, and nobody would be able to tell you from the most powerful wizard in the city." Anna smiled. "Oh… and you might want to lose the umbrella," she said with a giggle. "That's what hoods are for."

Sidney looked down at his Brigg and then smiled. "Excellent. Well then… this is where I must leave you. My hotel is one block over," he said, pointing down a deserted street to the right." He turned to Anna again and stretched out his hand. "I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me this evening, Miss Anna. You have been most helpful."

Anna shook his hand. "No problem, Sidney. Happy I could help. I hope you have a good trip home. When will we see you again?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Your father has transferred the last of my business here in the city to another so… until I hear from him directly again, it could be quite a while. Good luck in school and… farewell."

"Goodbye, Sidney."

The man turned and headed down the darkening street, the point of his umbrella tapping the ground merrily as he walked. Trog resumed his position by Anna's side.

"A good man, he is," the ogre said, appraisingly of the Muggle moving away from them.

"He is, indeed, a very good man," Anna replied as they turned and headed for the drawbridge.

FOUR

As Sidney Heidelbach moved alone through the darkest parts of the city, he was suddenly aware of his lasting vulnerability. He stayed close to the lights, their small flame flickering down upon the cobblestone under his feet, as he searched nervously for a way to feel more comfortable within his surroundings. Despite the uplifting discussion he had shared with Anna Grayson, he realized again he must have been the weakest creature traveling those quiet and spooky streets.

In the shadows of an adjoining alleyway, the spy peered through its ragged hood to watch the man moving up the sidewalk. The eyes followed longingly, almost hungrily, at the man walking alone at an anxious pace. The spy was whispering to himself

"I smell a Muggle, old friend. Oh my… how this city has fallen to allow such as this to walk on its streets without care. We would never have approved this in our day. Shall I kill him now? I wonder. Would doing so finally gather your attention and help to take your oldest friend away from this dangerous place? Will it finally allow my escape out of Spellsburg?

"The cursed Crimson Guards are everywhere. I cannot hunt here like in the days. Oh… those were good times we had, eh Tom? Good times, indeed. Why haven't you come for me yet? Why hasn't your servant returned to protect the young one? All my work to put a murder at her feet has come to nothing thus far. The public uproar I had planned is still muted against Anna Grayson. How can this be? Where have my plans gone wrong?

"Well… no matter. The killing was fun anyway… much like the old days, Tom, but it's obvious to me now that I must make the young one suffer more if I am to bring her mother back here again. A few more bodies left hiding in her closet should bring Victoria back soon enough. And when she does return, you will then know of my ascension from the pit you left me in to rot. I wonder if you would recognize me after our years apart. I doubt it. But how could you have forgotten me after all the fun we shared together and all the suffering we delivered hand in hand. Now they fear you. They fear you so much they won't even speak your chosen name. But I can say your name, Tom, or shall I call you by your new name. I can say it very well: Voldemort. I can't wait to see you again, old friend. How can I gather your attention? I've been collecting the eggs since my escape, thinking that too might spawn some interest out of your Death Eaters… but to no avail."

He sneered. "Oh well, without a new design to guide me, I must stick with what I do best. Another dead body under Anna Grayson's bed should bring your servant to me. And then… we will celebrate as we did in the old days. We shall kill Muggles together once again."

The man hiding in the darkness moved carefully, but strangely equal to any predator in the forest from which he came. He stopped to look around him once again; a killer can't be too cautious. There were snares and traps set everywhere in this old place. He grinned wickedly as he watched the Muggle moving away and then darted out to follow Sidney Heidelbach up the street.

174


	16. Chapter 14 - The Screams of Verosapt

Chapter 14D09

Chapter 14 (draft 09)

The screams of Verosapt

ONE

"Watch out, Anna!"

Anna ducked as the heat of another spell raced over her head. She looked over at Gabriel who was hiding behind another large stone across the sand-filled pit.

"Thanks," Anna yelped back. "That was close!"

"We're not acting very well as a team and the Defenders outnumber us four to three."

Anna's eyes widened. "Who'd we lose?"

"Baird! Debbie Dunning took him out with a freezing spell. Our right flank is now exposed and I saw your brother moving over to fill the gap. Be on the look out."

Anna nodded and then peeked around the stone concealing her. The dueling hall was crackling from the energy of several spells shot by the two opposing teams facing off against one another. What started out an equal number of Defenders and Guardians in the fight now saw the protectors of magic two combatants down, and the Defenders quickly moving in to take advantage.

Anna ducked again as two move spells crashed against the stone hiding her. She looked over to Gabriel.

"We can't stay here much longer. They're gonna rush us any second."

Gabriel peeked around her rock and fired a spell and then ducked back as four more hexes raced over her head from the other side.

"I'm open to any suggestions."

Anna smiled. "You're the Guardian Knight — aren't you supposed to have a plan?" Anna quickly jerked up. _"Impedimenta!"_ She ducked back down as something red streaked back across the pit in response.

"Yeah… well… you're the little speed-demon on the sand," Gabriel yelled back. "I'd gladly cover any boldness you have left."

"Where's Gwen? Is she still out there by herself?" Anna yelled back, ducking again as the rubble from another hexed blasted over her head.

"Yeah — to your left and a row up; she won't last much longer out there."

Anna peeked around the other side of her boulder and saw Gwen huddled low behind another rock. She was being blasted from three different directions.

"I'm going out to help her," Anna bellowed.

Gabriel ducked again. "I'll cover you." She nodded the signal – _one, two, three!_

Anna stood, fired another spell, and then took off toward Gwen. She halted suddenly as two flashes of red streaked their way straight through her path. She could see her brother Damon from the corner of her eye turning to fire at her.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_ Damon screamed, and Anna took two more steps before diving behind Gwen's rock.

"_Impedimenta __Scumbag__!"_ Gwen answered back, firing her own spell at Damon who was already out of sight.

"Hello, friend," Gwen chimed, wincing hard as another spell smashed into the rock hiding them. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry about that. I thought Baird had your back."

Gwen scoffed. "The idiot went down in the first minute."

Anna winced as another hex hit the other side of the rock. "Things are looking kind of bleak here."

"Yeah — but I'm gonna get Debbie Dunning before it's over. You mark my words; she's going down."

Anna smiled as she looked around them. "That's my girl. Any idea where Debbie the Dork might be?"

Gwen peeked around the corner again. "Yeah… she's on your side, two rows back, but I don't know how we're gonna get to her with your stupid brother trying to murder us. I can't believe he's helping Dunning."

Anna smirked. "If it were any other Grayson but me he'd probably shoot her in the back."

They both ducked again as a barrage of hexes suddenly crashed above them.

"Goodness!" Gwen yelled. "They're trying to kill us."

Anna looked at her. "No — that was three distinct spells coming from three different directions.

Gwen's eyes widened. "Somebody's on the move!"

Anna nodded and then grabbed hold of Gwen as three more spells hit their rock. "They must be getting close. Get ready!" Anna placed a hand on the stone and listened carefully for the voices of magic coaching her again.

"Yep… somebody's coming," she said. "They're close! NOW!"

Anna stood and immediately fired, "_Petrificus… to… Artus!_" A streak of light smashed into the chest of the Defender boy rushing their position. The boy collapsed into the sand and the crowd watching from the bleachers cheered madly. Anna ducked back down next to Gwen.

"Did you get'em?" Gwen yelled.

"Yeah, Durkin's out of it."

"Stephan?!" Gwen looked scandalized. "You didn't! Is he hurt?" Gwen tired to stand.

"Get down, you dope!" Another blast just missed Gwen as Anna pulled her back down.

"But he might be injured."

"It was just a freezing spell, he'll be fine!"

"But he can't move and he's out there all alone."

Anna ducked down as another blast hit the stone again. "Since when do you care about Durkin? I thought the two of you we on the outs."

"We are…but he's still the best looking boy in his year."

"Great shot, Anna," Gabriel yelled as she ran forward to a new position behind a rock ten feet away. "You got him point blank!"

"Point blank?" Gwen glared at Anna. "How could you?"

"Will you please get your head in the game before…?"

BOOM!

Another blast hit the stone just above Anna's head. She glowered up at Gwen. "…before we're all face down in the sand!"

'Yeah — yeah, I hear you." Gwen suddenly pulled Anna forward. "WATCH OUT!" A blast of ash burned Anna's foot.

"OUCH!"

"Are you all right?"

"No! I'm not all right! Who the hell was that?"

"Damon! He's behind that rock over there. We can't stay here any longer."

"Fall back!" Gabriel yelled. "Get out of there, you two!"

"We gotta go, Annie-G. Can you run?"

"Don't wait for me. My foot is numb, but I'll make it. Let's get out of here!"

The two girls jumped to their feet and ran toward another boulder behind them. Within two steps, however, Anna was struck in the back by a bolt of white light. Her arms and legs were immediately pulled together and her body toppled into the sand face first. She could hear the crowd cheer again and Gwen's far off voice screaming.

"Where's Anna? Where'd she go?"

Gabriel was yelling back. "She's down. Stay where you are. The Defenders are rushing us. Watch out!"

There were more blasts, and then Anna felt somebody standing over her. She could hear a familiar voice yelling above her.

"Move right, Damon. To your right! They're in the back corner now. Pin them down to cover Winston's approach and we'll take the last two out."

Anna's blood was boiling with rage. She knew that voice very well. She could feel her body, stiff as a board, being pushed over onto its back. Debbie Dunning was hiding next to the boulder staring down at her.

"Hello, Grayson," Debbie sneered. "You having fun yet?" Anna could only watch as Debbie pointed her wand into her face and then leaned over her to push Anna's upper lip up. "Hmmm… no fangs yet," she sneered. "Whelp, I've got to go and do my part to wipe out the rest of your Guardian friends." She quickly stood and then stepped on Anna's stomach as she took off. The crowd began to cheer again as Anna struggled to breathe.

"HALT!" Professor Bots bellowed. "Wands away!"

Their Dueling instructor whipped out his wand, there was a loud crack, and Anna immediately found herself free to move again. She rolled over onto her side and pulled her knees up in an effort to take in more air.

"Anna! What's the matter?" Gwen yelled, rolling Anna over.

"I'm all right. Just… give me a second. Debbie gave me a kick in the gut is all."

"She got Gabriel too, the little winch." The other three Guardians came over sit next to Gwen and Anna in the sand

"Not a very strong showing, team," Gabriel observed, as she looked up at the crowd cheering for the Defenders who were high-fiving each other in triumph.

"Very good — everybody," Bots said brightly. "Another winning mark and twenty points to the Defender Union."

"Help me up," Anna said, holding out a hand to Gwen who pulled her friend to her feet. "I'm really started to hate this place. That's the third time in a row we've had our wands handed to us. What am I missing here?"

"I thought we did a little better this time," said the fifth-year boy named John Baird. "We lasted three full minutes longer than last week."

Gabriel looked at John and smirked. "If that's what you call doing better, I'll be a tenth year before we win a battle."

TWO

As Anna entered her Care of Magical Creatures class, she immediately saw Eric motioning her to the side. She hesitated. She was still angry with her brother for his part in helping Dumbledore, but the concern on her brother's face was obvious. Something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" Anna said, worriedly.

Eric looked around cautiously. "Are we okay? I haven't seen you since our meeting with father."

Anna couldn't hide her lingering disappointment. "Yeah… I guess we're all right."

"Anna, I wouldn't have gone along with what they were doing if lives weren't at stake, but…" her brother hesitated, "looking back, I guess I knew it was wrong. I should have been more considerate of the position they were putting you in."

Anna's stony facade melted away instantly. "I understand why you did it. In fact, I'm still not completely sure I can say no. I haven't decided yet."

Eric frowned. "Listen… I know it's your decision to make but, given time to think about it more, I would advise that you not to help them."

Anna was surprised. "But you were the one who told them about the scope.

"I know, I know, but I've had some time to think about it since seeing your reaction to the request. Although it might seem logical to tell them where Voldemort is hiding, we have to ask ourselves if doing so would make us responsible for any deaths that might come out of that confrontation. Just because they know where Voldemort's is hiding doesn't mean he'll be easy to capture, and several people might be killed in the attempt, including our father."

Anna's eyes widened. "I… never thought of that."

"We can't assume our allowing these magical objects to be used in any way will shorten this conflict or make it less difficult. In fact, the whole premise for the Guardian's existence tells me it most likely would not. It might just as well have the opposite effect we expect. And let's not forget… using these objects could very well lead to them being destroyed, which is what we're trying to avoid in the first place."

Anna thought about it and then reached out to hug her brother. "Thank you for trying to understand what I was feeling and for making my decision easier."

"So…am I forgiven?"

She smiled and then hugged him again.

"Good. Then I'll send an owl to father explaining why you won't be helping Dumbledore."

Anna pushed back. "Tell him _the Guardians_ won't be helping them."

Eric grinned and then nodded. "I have something else I need to tell you. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"It's about the dragon I was keeping for you."

Anna frowned. "Taurus? What's the matter? What's happened to him?"

"I'm afraid he's escaped."

"Escaped? But… how, where?"

"He burrowed his way through the wall and into the next apartment. My neighbor had an open window and, judging by what's left of the sash, I'm pretty sure he escaped there."

"You mean… he's gone?"

"I'm afraid so." Eric tried to sound upbeat. "He's a very good climber, so there's a chance he might stay close to the apartment for a while, but…"

"But… what?"

Eric shrugged. "Anna… I think he can fly."

"What? You mean… already? Is… that even possible?"

"According to my research, the timing is about right. I never actually saw him do more than jump and flap around the room, but apparently it's very common for his breed to leave the nest quickly after gaining that confidence."

Anna fell back against the wall looking dejected.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Eric said consolingly. "It was just… well, you know, it was his time to fledge."

Anna looked at her brother woefully. "Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I could have been there to see it happen."

"That's why I wanted to tell as soon as possible. There's still a chance you might see him. According to that new book you bought for me on my birthday, it's rather common for a fledgling to hang around the nest and its mother for a few more weeks. He might even try and seek you out at some point in time."

Anna's face immediately brightened. "Me?"

"That's right. Intentional or not, I believe this dragon has imprinted on you as its caretaker, you or… maybe Hobbs. He might try and find you, so be on the lookout whenever you're outside. And if you do see him, try to get him to come to you. With all the dragon hysteria in the city, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody tried to hex him if he's seen out in the open."

The bell rang signifying the start of class and Anna took her seat. She looked over at the empty chair next to her and frowned. Looking to her other side, she saw Tanya Joe trying to stuff an enormous book bag under her seat.

"Hey, TJ. You seen Sarah today?"

TJ looked over to the empty chair and shrugged. "Nope. She's gonna miss class again. She sick or somethin'?"

"I don't think so, but she's been acting really strange lately. I really don't see her that much anymore. She comes in late after I'm asleep and then she's usually up and gone before I get up."

"What's she been doin'? You know she missed a _Potions_ class last week too."

"Really? I don't have Potions with her this year. I didn't know."

A poke in the back gave Anna a start. A boy from the Laborer's Union was pointing Anna's attention to the front where her brother was staring back at her.

"Anna… I asked you if you knew where Sarah Bell was today?"

Anna shook her head worriedly. "Um… no, I don't. Sorry."

"All right then; we'll have to carry on without her. Make sure she gets a copy of your notes. She's going to need them, because we're starting our discussions today on level three creatures."

THREE

Over the next few days, Anna made an effort to find out what Sarah Bell was doing in the morning and in the evenings before she went to bed. When she noticed her roommate wasn't heading in the right direction for her classes, Anna followed her across the drawbridge where she obverted Sarah walking aimlessly up and down the city streets and alleyways. When Anna spoke to her, she was generally cordial, but oddly indifferent about the things going on within the castle. At first, Anna thought there might be something wrong at home, but when she pressed Sarah more on the subject, she would deny there was anything troubling her. Anna could plainly see this wasn't true, but she couldn't get her friend to talk about the problem.

Stranger than Sarah missing classes to walk about the city, there were enormous swings in her mood and temper. Then there were days when nobody could remember seeing her at all, followed by periods of normalcy where Sarah seemed her happy self; quiet and gentle, very sweet and interactive. Then, after a time, she would disappear once more and became distant and unapproachable.

Anna's curiosity about Sarah's problems was becoming provisional, as she began to fixate on the question she would be allowed to ask the Verosapt on her fourteenth birthday. Night after night, Anna dreamed about the old gorilla and where he might be living in the wizarding world. Despite Sarah's obvious troubles and her building concerns for her ally, Anna continually found herself wondering if the voice of the hoard really existed at all. Perhaps the creature was just an image brought to life by the magic within the scope, a complex representation of the hoard that see. After considering all she knew, Anna decided the great ape probably did exist and was probably living in some mountainous area in the deepest part of Africa. She wondered if any previous Keepers of the scope had thought to seek him out.

The day before her birthday found Anna was extremely anxious. Leola Grayson was still lost, imprisoned somewhere on Grayson Hill. She had received several owls from Edith Porchdow, bemoaning her inability to find the vessel keeping their friend a prisoner.

To Anna, the situation was now becoming critical. She knew she had to find her ally. Although she didn't understand why, Anna was certain she was much more vulnerable without Leola's protection. She was starting to believe they were joined in some magical way that lessened Anna as a Guardian without the magical armor this specter represented, and as her birthday approached, Anna's mind never strayed far from Leola's suffering. She had to be freed. It was more important than telling Dumbledore where Voldemort was hiding or, to Anna's great surprise, finding her own mother.

"Where's Sarah?" Gwen asked Anna at dinner that night.

Anna shrugged uncaringly. "Don't know. She's in one of her moods again; probably in the city somewhere."

"You okay?"

Anna looked up at her friend and could see her concern. "Yeah, just a little nervous."

"I would be too, facing a big, ugly gorilla in my bedroom," Gwen moaned. "Is Hobbs ready to go?"

"Yeah, he slept most of the day in preparation for the flight home. I've already written the letter Edith Porchdow," Anna answered. "All I need to do is write in where the thing is that's keeping the ally a prisoner."

"Will Edith be able to free her if she finds whatever it is she's looking for?"

Anna thought. She remembered what it took to destroy the horcrux in the Hall of Wonders. "I don't know." Anna hesitated. She was worried if the vessel were destroyed, what would happen to Leola's ghost? Would it be destroyed as well?

They spent the rest of the evening in the tower room working on their homework by the fire, as the remaining hours to midnight marched on. Anna wanted to be directly in front of the scope soon after twelve o'clock, ready to send Hobbs on his way to Mrs. Porchdow with the information. Then she would have to wait. _Would Edith be able to find Leola and set her free?_

"Whata' youse two doin' up so late?" asked TJ, who had entered the tower room just before the curfew warning sounded.

Anna looked up. "Oh… just trying to finish some homework. Where've you been?"

"Had detention for cussin' Debbie-the-dork yesterday," TJ replied insipidly. She shrugged. "It was worth it, but ma-knees are sore as hell from scrubbin' the entrance wall. The dork took my wand, a'course; no scourin' charms allowed." She sat next to Gwen on the couch. "So… wha's up with Sarah?"

Gwen looked over at Anna worriedly and then back to TJ. "What do you mean? Why do you ask?"

"Seen her runnin' out the entranceway door 'bout an hour ago cryin' her eyes out. Didn't see her come back neither 'fore I finished up." She looked up at the clock above one of the fireplaces. "It's long passed curfew now. She shouldn't be in the city this time a'night."

Anna leaned in. "She was crying?"

"Yep. Poor thing. Everythin' alright at home fer her?"

"I asked her about that, but she wouldn't tell me anything," Anna replied concernedly. "I don't know what's happening to her and it's not like Sarah to be so secretive."

They spent the next two hours waiting to see if Sarah was going to come back before Anna finally got to her feet. "Well it's almost midnight… I'm going up," she said, giving Gwen a significant look.

"Yeah, me too," Gwen replied knowingly, adding a fake stretch. "Could I get that book I loaned you before we crash?"

"Sure. You staying up TJ?"

TJ looked at the tunnel doors. "I think'll wait a bit to see if'in Sarah makes it back alright. She looked a terrible mess when she left."

Anna felt guilty for not waiting with TJ, but she knew there were pressing matters at home that needed her attention.

"Don't stay up too late. I'll knock on your door tonight when she gets back," Anna offered caringly.

As Anna and Gwen headed up the staircase, they could hear the sound of chimes signaling midnight throughout the hall. But before she tapped the knob on the door with her wand to enter, Anna noticed a strange smell coming from her room.

"Will that gorilla-thingy be waiting for you?" Gwen asked her nervously, as Anna opened the door and watched the lights brighten.

"I doubt it. I don't think he likes talking to humans all that much unless he absolutely has to. Why is it so cold in here?" Anna's pace quickened. She knew something was wrong before she entered the bedroom. There were dozens of chaotic whispers flooding into her mind as she turned up the lamp.

"What the…?" Anna mumbled.

"What's the matter? Oh — my God!"

As the lights in her bedroom brightened, the scene meeting them was horrifying. The room looked like it had been turned upside down. The window overlooking Spellsburg was broken, the drapes torn, and Anna's bed ripped apart. Her trunk was toppled over and its contents were scattered about the floor before them. Her dresser was in pieces, her clothing ripped and scattered. And then…

"My scope!"

Her mother's kaleidoscope lay in a tangled mess of splayed legs and gemstones scattered and strewn everywhere. Anna dashed over to pick up her most treasured gift and could immediately hear the magic within its golden body screaming hideously.

"What happened to it? Who did this?" Gwen howled.

Anna was desperately grabbing up as many of the precious gems she could manage

"Quick! Help me gather the stones. Oh my God… the scope! I think… Gwen, I think it's dying!"

"It's what?" Gwen immediately dropped to the floor and began scooping up the rubies, diamonds and sapphires littering the floor and under the bed.

"The magic in the scope is weakening, it's dying. Hurry — we have to do something to stop it!"

Anna sat spray-legged with the scope in her lap, a siren of screams flooding her mind. She could see the barrel of the scope bleeding a greenish vapor from the many holes where the gems were once mounted. She dug out her wand from out of her robes and then pointed it at one of the open holes.

"Reparo!" she yelled. The scope twitched in her lap and then sat quiet as it continued to scream in an endless array of animal cries that only Anna could hear. She could see down inside the barrel through its many holes and recognized what looked like an inferno burning within. A rush of wind through her mind was interrupted by a terrible crackling sound she recognized.

"My God," Anna yelled, looking up at Gwen. "The jungle is on fire. It's burning!"

She could hear them now, the flight of wings and the sound of paws and hooves desperately trying to escape the approaching flames bearing down upon all of them. The sound was a jumbled mix of frightened screams and stampeding footfalls attempting to flee.

"What jungle?" Gwen yelled back, stretching to reach another diamond under Anna's dresser.

Anna tried forcing one of the cut gems into an open hole, but it immediately fell into the barrel and exploded within. An angry outburst that sounded like a thunderclap could be heard emanating from the barrel of the scope.

"What was that?" Gwen said, quickly turning to look back at the device in Anna's lap.

Anna looked up at her. "You heard that? Did you hear?"

"A boom, like a thunderclap… yeah, I did."

Anna dropped a green emerald into another open hole and a rumble of thunder was quickly heard in response. There was a flash within the scope, a bolt of bright lightening, and a white beam suddenly shot from the end of the smashed lens before going dark again.

And then, to Anna's astonishment, the same green emerald she had dropped inside began growing out of the side of the barrel to fill one of the many holes under Anna's hand.

Gwen's eyes widened. "It healed itself, right there. Did you see that? Look!"

For the first time since entering her room, Anna allowed herself a chance to breathe. She turned the barrel on its end with the broken lens up and she could hear the magic within screaming in angry protest.

"My God, what was that?" Gwen complained, covering her ears with her hands.

"Pour them in! The gems! Pour them all in!" Anna yelled at her.

Gwen grabbed a handful of the cut stones and dropped them into the open end of the barrel. Immediately, the gems flashed and seemed to melt away before hitting the bottom. Several flashes of lighting could now be seen within the fire and then they heard something else. The two Guardians listened closely and could hear the distant sound of rainfall inside the scope. A light drizzle at first, Anna heard the stampede within begin to slow.

"Look at that!" Gwen said, pointing at the side of the scope's barrel. Several of the gems were now reappearing on the outside, filling several of the empty holes again.

"It's working! Do it again — pour them in, all of them!" Anna yelled, desperately grabbing some of the stones out of Gwen's hand and pushing them down the barrel. Gwen scooped several more from the floor around them and did the same.

The scope flashed again and again, and as the girls worked they could hear the rainfall inside beginning turn into a downpour. The animals inside were finally quiet as the sirens of magic lessened. The fire was clearly dying.

The gems reappeared again, just like their brothers before, filling the open wounds outside the barrel. Finally, the scope was quiet. Only the whispered moans of pain could now be heard in the back of Anna's mind and the licking of open wounds.

"That's it — that's all of them." Gwen said, dropping the last of the stones into the barrel. She turned to look for more as she sat next to Anna on the floor.

"Keep looking, there's still some missing," Anna said, turning the barrel over to see a few empty holes. The moans she was hearing seemed to emanate from the now darkened wounds.

Anna set the scope to the side and helped Gwen look around the room. They moved what was left of the furniture, the trunk, and her dresser. They ripped through the discarded clothing strewed about the room and then her bedding.

"They're not here, Anna," Gwen moaned. "Whoever did this… they must have taken them."

Anna felt sick. She picked up the legs and tried to fit them together on the dresser before letting out a whimper of shock.

"Oh… no."

"What's the matter?"

"The big ruby… it's gone!"

Anna pointed at the large and now empty claw on top of the scope's barrel. Sure enough, they could see where the largest stone, the one used to summon the great ape forth, had been ripped away from its mounting.

"Gracious, that's a big one," Gwen replied, and she turned anxiously to look around the room once again.

Anna dipped her head as she watched her friend resume the search. "Don't bother," she sobbed," it's not here. Somebody stole it."

Gwen looked at Anna in surprise and then around again at the disheveled room. "I guess… you're right." She peered up at her friend again. "But who would do such a thing?"

FOUR

Lieutenant Dunning looked surly as he closely inspected Anna's kaleidoscope sitting on her dresser.

"There are stones missing on the body of this device." He reached up with the point of his quill and began to scratch at one of the sapphires. "Are these supposed to be real?" He stared back at Anna and then smirked. "They are, aren't they?" He scowled again. "This scope must be worth millions of galleons. Why in the world would you keep something like this in your room?"

Anna didn't answer him. She was solemnly picking up her clothing off the floor.

"Don't touch that," Dunning bellowed at her. "It's all evidence." He turned to face her fully. "Where is your roommate?"

"I don't know," Anna answered reluctantly.

Dunning looked at the clock on Anna's bed stand. "It's one in the morning. What do you mean you don't know? Does she make it a habit to stay out this late?"

"Of course not. Sarah has never broken curfew."

"So why do you think your roommate tore up your room and damaged this device?"

Anna was shocked at the question. "Sarah didn't do this. She would never…"

"Look around you, Grayson. Only your belongings have been touched; it's your property that's been damaged here, only your trunk overturned." He unrolled an empty scroll on the dresser and began to write. "Did you and this, what is it …Sarah Bell… have a fight?"

"No — of course not. We never fight…"

"Don't say never, Grayson. You seem to forget — I had to break up a fight between you and another student just a couple of weeks ago. Isn't that what happened here as well? The truth!"

"That's ridiculous! Sarah and I are very good friends."

"Then where is she? If you're such good friends, why would she do this and then disappear?"

"I told you; Sarah didn't do this."

"No one else could have entered your room without you being present. The enchantments within Castlewood won't allow it."

"Then… somebody must have come in through the window."

Dunning looked at the damaged window and then pushed what was left of Anna's bed to the side so he could inspect it properly. He looked at the floor under the sill and then stuck his head carefully through the broken glass outside.

"_Lumos_!" he bellowed, pointing his wand downward. "Well?" he yelled.

"Glass from the window, sir," yelled a guard back from the ground. "The frame too." Dunning frowned suspiciously before looking back at Anna. "The window was broken out, not in. Where is your roommate, Grayson?"

"Don't you dare try and blame this on Sarah Bell."

"Either she did this — or you did it to put her on the spot. Now which is it?"

"I never!"

"WHERE IS SHE?"

"She's in the hospital," came a voice from Anna's doorway. It was Captain Hayman.

"The hospital!" Anna yelped. "Is she all right? What happened to her?"

"We're not quite sure yet. Doctor Pearl and Professor Thordarson are with her now. Miss Grayson, the Chancellor wants to see you down on the hospital floor right away."

Anna hesitated before glancing over at Dunning. The look on his face told her he was satisfied he had all the answers that mattered to him, and she was sure his suspicions would put her in the middle of anything that might have happened to her roommate as well.

Anna looked back at Hayman again. "Of course… right away."

As she passed the captain in the doorway, he stopped her. "These were found in her pocket." The captain opened his hand and showed Anna a small quantity of gemstones. Anna gasped before looking back at her scope. Dunning had already crossed the room to look down at the terrible evidence.

"Are those the missing gems from your scope, Grayson?" Dunning barked.

Hayman poured the stones into Anna's open hand as she looked up at the captain.

"Answer me! Are those the missing stones?"

"No… they couldn't be," Anna replied, unwilling to admit the obvious. She returned to her dresser and turned the barrel of the scope up. "They can't be."

She carefully poured the remaining gems in and then, just as they had done before, the stones flashed and disappeared. Anna held her breath and then groaned as the stones resurfaced again, growing out of the sides of the barrel to take their proper place. The remaining moans within Anna's mind emanating from the scope finally ceased, and the lens in its front glowed blue as the glass clicked and crackled and was magically made whole again. Anna bowed her head sorrowfully.

"Did Sarah… have anything else?" Anna looked up at the empty mounting on the top of her scope. The Ruby of YU was still missing.

"No… nothing more. Your roommate was pulled out of the moat this evening before she was taken to the hospital floor."

Anna looked surprised. "What? Pulled out of the moat? How did she…?"

"If some of the stones are still missing," Hayman continued, "we'll have some of the guards check under the drawbridge for them. The waters are shallow there, but…" his voice trailed off.

Anna frowned. "But what?"

"Sarah… was attacked by some of the grindylows in the moat. Doctor Pearl says she's all right physically, but if she dropped something else in the water it's most likely those creatures have it now and are rarely willing to give something they've taken back again."

Anna peered up at the empty mounting. How would she find her ally now? She looked back at Hayman again and could see the hope in his eyes fading. He had expected her to tell them where to find Voldemort. She turned to join him again.

"I want to see Sarah."

187


	17. Chapter 15 - Sarah's Curse

Chapter 15D10

Chapter 15 (draft 10)

Sarah's Curse

ONE

As Anna and Gwen entered the hospital floor, they could see two seventh-year Defenders talking to a group of Crimson Guards.

"It was weird. It looked like the girl was fighting with herself _not_ to cross over the drawbridge."

"Yeah," added the other boy. They were both wet and wrapped in hospital blankets. "She was holding onto one of the chain rails on the bridge, as if fighting against some overwhelming power forcing her to cross over."

"And then she seemed to decide it was better to jump into the moat than to go into the city," the first boy added.

"And that's when the two of you jumped in after her?" asked one of the guards.

That's right — and it was a good thing we did too, because the grindylows already had a hold of her and were trying to drag her underwater."

The guard looked at them and whispered, "Do you think the girl was… attempting suicide?"

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged. "That's what it looked like to us."

Gwen grabbed Anna's arm. "Suicide? That's crazy," she whispered disbelievingly.

"Ah… Anna… and Miss Reese. Come in, please," said a very concerned looking Professor Thordarson, emerging from behind a paneled curtain. The old wizard was still dressed in a floor-length nightgown with a draped hat and his customary dark glasses. He was leaning on his wizard's staff as he motioned the girls forward.

"Professor — how is Sarah?" Anna asked him worriedly. "Can we see her?"

"Yes you may, but just for a moment. Doctor Pearl is still healing her injuries." He directed them behind the curtain where they found a wet Sarah Bell unconscious in the bed and looking very pale.

"Sarah…" Anna moaned, moving toward her friend.

"Not another step closer, if you please," Doctor Pearl said, warningly.

"How is she, Doctor?" Gwen asked.

"Sleeping for the moment, but still very weak. Anna… can you tell me when was the last time Sarah had a full night's sleep?"

Anna hesitated. She was going to say the previous night, but then it occurred to her that Sarah wasn't in her bed when Anna went to sleep and her roommate was already gone the next morning.

"I'm … not really sure. She's been having difficulty sleeping lately. She's been going to bed late and getting up very early."

Doctor Pearl looked at the Chancellor and the concern on her expression was obvious.

"Anna, Gwen… I need ask you something very important," the Chancellor said, seriously, "and I must have as accurate an answer as possible. Do you understand?"

Anna looked at Gwen and then back to Thordarson. "Of course, Professor; I'll do anything if it'll help Sarah."

"Good, good. Now then: have either of the two of you witnessed any kind of strange behavior out of Miss Bell recently?

Anna and Gwen glanced at each other again.

"I take it from your reaction… you _have_ seen something. Forgive me… perhaps a better way to ask would be… have her actions seemed… for a better description… out of characterlately?"

"I'll say," Gwen replied. "She's been pretty hot-tempered recently. She even landed herself in detention last week."

"Indeed?" The Chancellor looked at Sarah lying in the bed. "Knowing what I do about Miss Bell, even I would call that highly unusual."

"And she's been missing a lot of classes lately," Gwen continued.

"Oh? An illness, perhaps? Trouble at home?"

Gwen looked at Anna. "Nothing she's shared with us."

"I see, and… you?" Thordarson asked Anna.

Anna took a deep breath. "She just hasn't been herself at all, Professor. She never seems to sleep normal hours anymore and she's always walking around in the city by herself. Sometimes she disappears for hours and…" Anna hesitated, "she always seems to be talking to herself."

"Hmmm…" Thordarson moaned, rubbing his chin as if in deep thought. "Anything… else?"

Anna frowned up at him. "Professor… I know what the guards are thinking — that Sarah was the one that damaged my scope, but she would never do something like that and she would never try to commit suicide."

Thordarson peered over his glasses at her and there was a strange redness in his gaze that Anna had never seen before. "You are obviously devoted to your roommate… but I believe you sell your friend short to think she might not harm herself in this case." Anna's mouth dropped and Thordarson smiled at her appreciatively. "The evidence against her, you must admit, is rather overwhelming. Is it true that the stones we found in her possession tonight were a part of that marvelous kaleidoscope of yours?"

Anna looked dejected. "Well… yes they were, but that doesn't mean…"

Thordarson held up a hand to halt her. "And do you not find it rather suspicious that your scope was damaged beyond your ability to use it just hours before the day of your entry?"

Anna's eyes widened. "You… know about my scope? I mean… you know what it can do?"

Thordarson grinned again. "Indeed… I do. You forget… I knew your mother when she was a student here as well, and there are very few magical devices that escape my attention when they come through the school's front doors, especially one of the quality and power of the _Scope of Verosapt_." Anna was having difficulty believing what she hearing as Thordarson leaned in.

"I would have found out anyway, of course, because you see… the request you received from the Headmaster of Hogwarts to use the scope to help the Order of the Phoenix went to your father… through me."

The Chancellor could see the fire immediately ignite in Anna's eyes. He smiled coyly. "You might be happy to know that I agreed to pass this request to your father only after refusing to approach you on the matter directly, and… I made a personal appeal to your father to drop the matter entirely. I know it was a very difficult decision for him to make, and I hope you're still not angry with his reasons for asking this of you."

Anna shook her head. "Of course not."

"Good. You are wise beyond your years, but getting back to the matter at hand; I find it impossible to think it coincidental that you are now lacking the given ability to ask your question of the Verosapt tonight. And I believe this fact best explains Miss Bell's actions this evening."

"But why would she do it, Professor?" Gwen said, looking down at Sarah in the bed.

The Chancellor turned to sit down next to Anna's roommate. He took a deep, reluctant breath and then said, "I'm afraid Miss Bell has not been acting of her own will as of late. She has been put under a very powerful curse, which has placed her actions under the control of another."

"What?" Gwen and Anna yelped together.

The Chancellor leaned down to feel Sarah's forehead. "I'm afraid it's true." He smiled down at Sarah and whispered, "The fiftieth Guardian." He looked up at the two girls again. "I must admit that when I first heard Miss Bell was chosen to be the final Guardian at the end of the last term, I was very surprised." He looked down again at the tiny girl lying in the bed and smiled once more. "But now I clearly see the wisdom in her selection. She is, indeed, immensely stronger than any of us could have known. She will make a formidable Guardian in time; she has proven that fully tonight."

"I don't understand, Professor. Who would curse Sarah?" Anna asked him, sounding very concerned.

"I do not know… but you might be happy to learn that, with Sarah's help tonight, I was able to break the _Imperious _curse used against her."

Gwen let out a gasp of shocked surprise.

Anna was confused. "The curse of… what?"

"Unforgivable…" Gwen whispered.

"It is indeed, Miss Reese." The Chancellor looked at Anna. "I am afraid your study of the Dark Arts has not progressed enough to include an explanation of the three _unforgivable curses_ outlawed years ago by the Wizarding _gamot_. The _Imperious Curse_ is one of a named few that can immediately sentence the one casting it to a life sentence in Azkaban prison. It is a most grievous piece of dark magic that steals the will of another and makes them the slave to the one hexing them."

Anna looked at Sarah and tears immediately began to well in her eyes. "Who would do such a thing to Sarah… of all people, why?"

"I believe she was made to act as somebody's spy… and to gather information about you." Thordarson replied heavily.

Anna was startled. "Me? But… who would want to spy on me?"

"There are many possibilities, including finding ways to remove you from these well-protected grounds under my care and guard. You will recall there is still the outstanding matter of Michael Wendell's murder."

Once again, Anna was surprised.

"But I believe Sarah's actions were meant to stop you from asking your scope the question closest to your heart tonight."

"But nobody knew what Anna was going to ask the scope." Gwen asked him.

"But don't you see? It wouldn't matter what Anna intentions might have been," Thordarson replied simply. "What mattered was what she _could_ have asked." He looked at Anna. "For example, you could have asked who the murderer was that killed Mr. Wendell, or you might have asked for the hiding place of _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_, or perhaps… something about your mother," he explained caringly.

Anna immediately understood. "But — I wasn't going to ask for any of those things?" she replied.

This statement seemed to surprise Thordarson and he gazed at her wonderingly.

Anna's head dipped. "It doesn't matter anyway. Now that the Ruby of YU is down with the grindylows… the scope is useless now."

Thordarson was studying her. "I can assure you, my dear, the ruby used to summon the _hoard_ is not down in the Castlewood moat."

Anna was startled. "It's not? How do you know? Do you know where it is?"

Thordarson shook his head. "As I said… very few magical objects escape my attention when they come into Castlewood. While I cannot tell you where it is, I can say the ruby is not in the moat or anywhere on the Academy grounds."

"But then… how could Sarah have taken it? If she never left the grounds then how is it that the ruby is missing?" Gwen replied, thinking quickly. "I don't understand."

"There are several possibilities, of course," the Chancellor surmised, "all of which lead me to believe it wasn't your roommate who took it."

Thordarson seemed to fall into his own thoughts for a moment and then "Well… no matter. What is important is that Miss Bell _fought_ against the curse acting to enslave her." Looking down at Sarah again, the Chancellors appeared immensely proud. "And what was being asked of her tonight… must have been so appalling to her conscious, so horrific in her mind, that it forced her, despite the pain of it, to fight back." Once again, the old wizard lovingly stroked Sarah Bell's forehead. "Very impressive in one so young… and without training." He looked up at them once more.

"No doubt you overheard the testimony of the two young men who jumped into the moat to save her tonight?" Anna and Gwen nodded. "Then you will recall they said Sarah seemed to be fighting with herself not to cross over the bridge into the city?"

"Yes."

"In that terrible moment of desperation, it would seem Miss Bell decided to throw herself to the absent mercies of the grindylows rather than to betray you by what was demanded of her this night."

"What?" Anna gasped again and her stomach wrenched. She tried to move to Sarah's bedside, but Thordarson stood to stop her.

"Now-now, there will be plenty of time for that, and I'm afraid the power I employed to break this dreadful curse will keep her in the hospital for at least another week."

Anna's eyes were flooded with tears. "But Professor… it's because of me that Sarah's been hurt. I should be the one caring for her."

Thordarson smiled. "You are a very good friend, and you _will_ get your chance, but tomorrow would be better than tonight."

Anna tried to push forward, but Thordarson wouldn't allow it. "There now… Sarah needs her rest and…" the Chancellor looked around worriedly for the absent Doctor Pearl, "and I'm afraid our _resident_ healer would find your nursing skills short of what is needed in this case.

"Like the rest of us, Doctor Pearl is understandably upset by the thought that somebody would attack one of our residents in this way. In her mind, there is no greater sin than to purposefully hurt a child. It's best you stay clear of her practiced ambitions to care for Miss Bell tonight."

Anna tried to move forward again. "Sarah…"

"Tomorrow, Anna," Thordarson said caringly, stopping her again. "She will be much better tomorrow. You'll see.

"I suggest you return to your halls and try to get some sleep. The window in your room has already been repaired, and all of the hall's casements have been reinforced with unbreakable charms. You may return after your lessons tomorrow.

"And I would ask you both not to reveal to anybody that Miss Bell was cursed. This information is to be held is strict confidence between the three of us, Doctor Pearl, and the Captain of the Guard. Do you understand? It is vital we keep this quiet if we hope to capture the person responsible for this dreadful act. Are we agreed?"

"Yes, sir," Gwen said, but they had to wait for Anna to finally nod her agreement before she suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh my God… what about Sarah's parents? They'll need to know what happened."

The Chancellor raised his hand to stop her worries again. "They have already been informed and are in route to Spellsburg as we speak. I'm afraid it will take some doing to keep them from whisking their daughter away from Castlewood… but I mean to help them understand that the safest place for Miss Bell right now is in the care and watchful eye of Margaret Pearl."

Anna was still crying as she looked at Sarah lying so still in the bed. Gwen put a hand on her friend's elbow and Anna sniffed, but finally relented. She turned to leave through a pair of Crimson Guards standing watch at the door; their wands were drawn and in plain sight. She was almost at the latch when she heard Thordarson again.

"Oh… and… Miss Grayson?"

Anna turned to look back.

"I know the circumstances of the night were not what you expected, but still… happy birthday, my dear."

Anna jerked a quick smile, nodded, and then left the hospital floor with Gwen.

TWO

The next day Anna and Gwen were shocked by the speed at which the news of the robbery and Sarah's hospitalization had traveled through Castlewood. Then they were highly affronted that so many students believed Sarah was the thief responsible for all the damage done to their room.

"What did you expect?" said the fifth-year Guardian Isabel Lang. "If Lieutenant Dunning is heading up the investigation, you should have expected his sister would be spreading lies about what really happened."

Given Thordarson's instructions not to tell anybody about Sarah being a victim of an unforgivable curse, Anna and Gwen were left to explain what had happened by saying somebody unknown had done the robbery and that Sarah's injuries were sustained after she accidentally fell into the moat. Unfortunately, these details did not sideline the rumors in the way Anna had hoped, especially since there were two senior Defenders who were eyewitnesses to Sarah's strange behavior on the drawbridge.

The whole affair quickly came to a head as Anna and Gwen set off to visit Sarah on the hospital floor the next day.

"Hey Grayson. Is it true your roommate tried to kill herself last night after being caught stealing from the dormitory?" It was Debbie Dunning. She was laughing derisively with her gaggle of Defender friends.

"Ignore her," Gwen whispered to Anna as they headed up the staircase.

"I supposed that's what happens when you grow up a Muggle, ay? What really happened, Grayson? Was she trying to sneak pieces of your wardrobe off to her Muggle brothers and sisters?"

"Shut up, Dunning," Anna snapped back. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh… don't I? Well… it just so happens that my brother is leading up the investigation, and he's of the opinion that your little friend will be kicked out of Castlewood just as soon as she steps off the hospital floor."

"You think so?" Anna fired back. "Well I'm of the opinion that your brother couldn't find the truth if it was written out for him on his forehead."

Dunning smiled. "We'll see, Grayson, we'll see. By the way, is it true you like to show off your family's wealth by keeping diamonds and rubies in plain sight on your dresser? It's no wonder the little Guardian thief had trouble setting aside the temptation to pinch for profit."

Anna finally turned to face Dunning fully. "You know, it's amazing just how ignorant you can be sometimes. You must be taking extra stupid classes somewhere around here? Why don't you try a little harder to mind your own business, or go talk to Professor Thordarson if you really want the truth."

Dunning looked at her friends and laughed. "Methinks she doth protest too much." She looked at Anna again.

"By the way," she added, glaring back at Anna, "calling Thordarson for help isn't going to work much longer, Grayson. I've heard he'll soon get the sack by the Minister of Magic for spreading lies about _You-Know-Who's_ return. And if you ask me… that can't happen soon enough. What are you going to do when the Chancellor is kicked out of Castlewood? My brother says…"

"Nobody asked you!" Anna fired back, "And if your brother gets any smarter, we might see him demoted to guard duty by Christmas break!"

There was an accumulated mixture of groans from several of those listening in the corridor and Debbie turned red in the face.

"You can expect a notice of detention on your door by the end of the day, Grayson," Debbie sneered, flipping open her pad and whipping out a quill from its top spring.

"I don't think so," said a voice behind her, and the still laughing Defenders turned to find a very tall girl in Searcher robes staring down at them. "In fact, I believe you owe Grayson an apology." It was none other than the new Castlewood Student President, Valentia Olivo.

Debbie looked surprised and then furious as she glared back up at the girl.

"An apology? You've got to be kidding me. She insulted my brother!"

"And your threats to the Chancellor's position in this school were out of bounds and extremely rude."

Debbie looked back at Olivo stubbornly. "Anybody who can read a newspaper can see he won't be here much longer. Spreading lies and stories about _You-Know-Who's_ return is gonna get him the sack. You mark my words."

"Yes… and I must remember to have a discussion with your brother about the sharing of confidential, investigative information to _unauthorized_ members of the school's population," Olivo continued undaunted, looking over at the immense Crimson Guard standing next to her.

Dunning seemed to shrink. Looking unexpectedly worried, she turned to face Anna again and then slapped her notebook closed.

"No matter," she said, trying to look indifferent. "I'll be seeing you again, Grayson. I believe we have dueling practice again on Thursday, don't we?" She smiled evilly, and then motioned to her gang to follow as she walked away. The student president smoothly strode forward as Dunning fell out of sight.

"Thanks for that," Anna said, smiling.

Olivo looked down at her. The Latino girl was stunningly beautiful and looked completely out of place among the children surrounding her.

"And how _is_ Miss Bell today?" she girl asked her, sounding hopeful.

"I… ah… I don't know yet. We were just now going up for a visit."

"Well then… please give her our best wishes for a quick and strengthened recovery."

"I will. Thank you."

The girl nodded to the guard accompanying her and they were on their way.

"She's impressive," Gwen said appraisingly of the new president.

"Very," Anna agreed. "Come on. I want to see if Sarah's awake yet."

THREE

When Anna and Gwen entered the hospital floor, they immediately struck at how empty the room looked compared to the previous night. The curtain surrounding Sarah's bed had been moved to the side, but Sarah Bell looked the same as she did the night before, pale and laying rather stiffly on her back with the blankets tucked tightly all around her. She still looked wet from her swim in the moat, but as Anna came closer she could see her roommate was sweating profusely.

"Don't worry too much about the way she looks right now," said a waddling Doctor Pearl, who had just entered the hospital floor carrying a small tray of beakers. "She is coming along nicely, considering what the poor dear has been through."

"Has she awakened yet, Doctor?" Gwen asked her, coming as close to Sarah's bedside as she dared without permission.

"Oh — yes; off and on throughout the day."

The healer set the tray on the end table and then poured two small cups of blue liquid into a larger beaker containing a grayish powder. The combination sputtered and popped, fizzed, and then ignited a blue flame.

"Goodness!" Anna exclaimed. "She doesn't have to drink that, does she?"

The doctor smiled. "Of course not. It's for her fever." She wafted out the flames with a waving hand, dipped a cloth into the beaker, and then carefully applied it to Sarah's head. The girl immediately moaned.

"Have her parents arrived yet?" Anna asked.

"Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Bell arrived on the morning ship and were escorted up to the castle by the guard. They had a nice visit with their daughter to make sure she was recovering and then were escorted upstairs to the Chancellor's office. I'm afraid Professor Thordarson will have a heck of a time convincing Sarah's father to allow her to stay at Castlewood, but I'm sure the Chancellor will inspire reason in them." The healer leaned down to Sarah in the bed.

"Sarah — dear, you have some friends here to see you. Wake up, Sarah. It's Anna and Gwendolyn."

Sarah's eyes immediately flew open and Anna could see them moving rapidly about the ceiling before finding Anna smiling down at her; the girl's eyes widened in horror as she tried to speak.

"Anna… danger… don't go," she mumbled, arching her back as if straining with great difficulty to speak. It seemed almost painful to Anna and Gwen. "Don't go…" she repeated, "outside…"

"Sarah, dear… look at me, sweetheart. Look at me now." Sarah's eyes moved back to Pearl. "Anna is fine. She's right here. Remember… we already talked about this. Your roommate is not in any danger whatsoever. You were very, very brave to try and warn her last night. Look… here's Anna right now," and Pearl motioned Anna to come closer.

"Hey you…" Anna said softly, sitting on the bed next to her roommate.

Sarah's eyes widened again at the sight of her. She tried to speak. "Are… you… okay?" she managed, in barely a mumbled whisper. She tried to pull her hand out of the blankets. Anna helped her and then held it close to her chest.

"Yeah… I'm fine. How are you?" Anna could see the tears forming in the girl's eyes.

"I tried… to… to… to tell you…" Sarah wheezed out. "I wanted to… to warn… but I couldn't…" Sarah clutched Anna's hand even tighter.

"I know, Sarah. Professor Thordarson told me what happened. It must have been terrible for you." Anna looked at Pearl. "Can I ask her who did this to her?"

Pearl nodded. "You can ask her anything you wish, but… I'm afraid you'll find she doesn't remember much."

Gwen came around the other side of the bed to sit. "Hi, girl, remember me?"

Sarah reluctantly pulled her gaze away from Anna and then to Gwen on her other side. She smiled broadly, and then to Gwen and Anna's astonishment she said, "Hi, Gwen… thanks for coming to see me." Her voice was clear and sounded completely unhampered.

Gwen was startled. "No problem. How are you? I heard you had a fever."

"Just a small one. No big thing. I wish Doctor Pearl would let me out of here." Again, Sarah's words were clear and full of the familiar happiness they had all come to love about her.

"Now — now, we've already discussed this," Pearl answered back. "We still have a way to go before you'll be allowed out." The doctor seemed unsurprised by Sarah's complete change of demeanor.

"Do you know who did this to you, Sarah?" Anna asked her.

Once again, Sarah's ability to speak seemed woefully restricted. She stared at Anna and seemed to wretch and twist as she spoke. "I… don't… remember…" she struggled out. "I'm very… very… I wanted to… warn… you… to stay away… from…" Sarah coughed and began to choke, "away… from me…" she finished.

"Careful — easy now. Take your time," Pearl coached her, dabbing the girl's forehead again.

Anna was confused. "Why can't she speak to me? I don't understand why she can speak so clearly to Gwen but not to me?"

Pearl gave a reluctant heave. "Well… apparently her attacker was very specific in their instructions not to say anything to you about what they were asked of her. Although the Chancellor was very successful in breaking her spell of enslavement, I'm afraid there will be some lasting effects for some time to come."

Anna was horrified. "You mean she won't be able to speak normally to me? For how long?"

"There's really no way to tell right now. It could be a few days or maybe a few months. We shouldn't force this recovery. As you can see, it causes her a great deal of pain to communicate with you, but I have no doubt she will make a full recovery… eventually. We're just going to have to give her some time."

"In the meantime, you can talk to me," Gwen said happily, patting Sarah in the arm and the girl smiled. "So what _do_ you remember?" Gwen asked her.

"Well…" Sarah turned to Anna. "I remember… walking… in the… city… and," she gripped Anna's hand tight again; the pain she was enduring to speak was bad.

"Don't talk to me, Sarah," Anna said quickly. "Tell Gwen."

Sarah turned to Gwen again and then swallowed hard. The pain immediately lessened. "I only remember walking in the city toward the book store on Defender's Street. I was looking for a new cover for my Magical Incantation's book. And then… I remember somebody talking to me in a dark ally. I remember being very scared. He wanted me… to… tell him…" the pain was increasing again, even as she tried to tell Gwen the story, "tell him… about… Ann… Ann… Anna." She coughed and choked again.

"That's enough now," Pearl interrupted, pushing Sarah back down flat. "We can't go too far all at once. If you try to say too much too soon, it will surely set you back. Try and relax, dear. We'll do more tomorrow. What's important for you to know now is that Anna is safe, you have been freed of the curse, and the Crimson Guards are looking for the person responsible for attacking you. There is nothing more to be done at the moment, okay?"

Sarah leaned back, looking longingly at Anna. She nodded.

Anna tried to change the subject. "I brought you something." She reached into her bag and handed Sarah the teddy bear from her roommate's bed.

Sarah smiled gratefully as she hugged the doll tight.

"There you go," Gwen added brightly. "A nice, comfy bed and a favorite stuffy too. What could be better?"

"Thanks," Sarah said gratefully. She looked at Anna and then turned to Gwen. "Can you tell Anna to bring me my books and homework assignments?"

Gwen smile faltered. "Sure… no problem, but if we do that you should know your classmates are going to hate you."

Sarah frowned. "Why… would they hate me?"

"Because… if all you're going to do is lay in bed all day long and study, you're going to push the curve over the top."

Sarah laughed and the sound of it made Anna smile for the first time in nearly two days. She reached down to tuck Sarah again.

"I'll come back after dinner tonight, all right?"

Sarah looked concerned again, but she tried to force a smile. "O… o… okay."

FOUR

Anna left the hospital floor in tears. "Oh God… this is my fault. Who would attack Sarah just to spy on me? I don't understand any of this."

Gwen hugged her friend. "I don't know, Anna. Maybe Professor Thordarson will eventually find out."

"Hello… you must be Anna Grayson."

Anna and Gwen turned to find a man and a woman standing behind them. The woman was looking at Anna enquiringly.

"Uhm… yes, ma'am," Anna replied, nodding.

"We are Mr. and Mrs. Bell, Anna. We're Sarah's parents."

Anna's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Yes, ma'am. It's so good to finally meet you!" Anna shook the woman's hand. "And you, sir," she said to the man behind his wife. The man looked stern as he came forward to face Anna and the Guardian was suddenly concerned he might be angry, but to her relief the man finally smiled.

"You're Sarah's roommate?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And Chancellor Thordarson tells me your family is highly respected in the wizarding community."

Anna was surprised. "Well… I'm honored the Chancellor would think so."

"I think your modesty validates his opinion." The man seemed to be evaluating her. "My wife and I wanted to thank you for looking out for our daughter. It hasn't been an easy transition for her or her family to have her away from home for most of the year. It was very kind of you to want to be her friend."

Anna smiled knowingly. "Mr. Bell… I feel that I'm the one who's been blessed to have Sarah as a friend. I love her like a sister."

"We all do," Gwen chimed in. "Sarah is really wonderful."

Mrs. Bell gripped her husband's arm, her reddened face showing her emotion.

Anna smiled. "This is Gwendolyn Reese. She's Sarah's friend too"

Mr. Bell smiled down at his wife as he patted her hand lovingly and then turned to them again.

"Anna… may I call you Anna?"

"Oh yes, sir. Please… by all means."

He nodded. "Anna… I wanted to ask you a very important question and my wife and I pray you'll be honest with us."

Anna frowned. "Oh course, sir."

The man took a deep breath and then, "Anna… Chancellor Thordarson told us that our daughter was attacked. Did you know that?"

Anna's face fell. "Yes, sir, I do."

"The Chancellor also said she was attacked in a most horrible way and with a curse outlawed by the wizarding community for nearly three hundred years."

"Since 1717," Gwen grumbled angrily.

Mrs. Bell whimpered and her husband tried to sooth her again.

"Anna… we have to know. Do you believe this attack on our daughter has anything at all to do with her being a Guardian?"

Anna was surprised and then looked over at Gwen who was plainly staggered by the question as well. The guilt Anna had felt earlier suddenly began to roll over her like an avalanche. Sarah had been cursed into spying on her. Nobody knew who had done it or why, but Thordarson believed it was done to keep Anna from using the Verosapt and from asking the one question allowed her every year. It could have been anybody… the smugglers perhaps, but Anna thought she knew better. Whoever had tried to frame her for the murder of Michael Wendell had also attacked Sarah Bell; Anna was certain of it. For whatever reason she didn't understand, this person was working to incriminate her for Wendell's murder and they tried to use Sarah to get to her again. That's when they probably found out about the power of the Verosapt and why they had Sarah destroy it. Anna looked up at Sarah's parents again and was about to respond when Gwen broke in again.

"No, Sir. I don't think this had anything to do with Sarah being a Guardian," she said emphatically. She looked at Anna again and nodded at her to agree.

Anna looked at Mr. and Mrs. Bell again and shook her head. "No… I really don't think so. Did Professor Thordarson tell you anything?" Anna was hopeful that the Chancellor didn't relay his real suspicions.

"No… only that the Crimson Guard was putting forth a very strong investigation as to the reason it was done and they would keep us informed," Mrs. Bell answered.

Mr. Bell stepped forward. "You're sure this had nothing to do with the Guardians?"

Anna took a deep breath and answered honestly. "No, sir. I don't think so."

He stared at her for a time that seemed unending and then looked relieved as he nodded. "Thank you, Anna." He took his wife's hand and then turned toward the doorway of the hospital floor, but before he entered Gwen stepped forward.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bell?"

They turned again to look back at her.

"I don't know if you were ever told, but each one of the original fifty Guardians that came into this union do so by choice. While it was the Mirror of Enlightenment that made us Guardians, all but one volunteered to reenter the mirror after already being sorted into another Hall."

Mr. Bell and his wife frowned as Gwen explained.

"I myself started here at the school three years ago and was originally in the Artisans' Union." Gwen looked down at the floor between them. "I love my music and playing the piano was the most important thing in my life… right up to the time I decided to reenter the mirror again." She suddenly looked somber, "I disobeyed my parents who forbid me from trying to join the Guardians… but you see… I just felt a calling, something deep down that told me I was meant to do more with my life than what I had planned. I still love my music and my studies of it have never stopped, but when I reentered the mirror it was clear I was making the right choice."

Sarah's mother stepped forward. "Have you ever regretted your decision? I mean… to reenter the mirror?"

Gwen looked at her and smiled. "No, ma'am. And, to be honest, I don't really know what will happen to the Guardians after we leave this school, or what we'll be doing to support ourselves, but I do know this: If I hadn't reentered the Mirror of Enlightenment when I did… I would have regretted it my entire life, and I am sure Sarah feels the same way. She's very strong and carries herself in this school with so much dignity and poise… you would be so proud of her if you saw her the way we do."

Sarah's mother stared at her and her lips quivered. "Thank you, Gwen. You really don't know what it means for us to hear this. We've been so worried about Sarah — about her leaving home and being away for so long, about studying magic, and then when we heard she had joined the Guardians…" she looked up at her husband again, "we were very concerned. The Chancellor has tried to explain the Guardian's role in the wizarding world… but it just seemed to us that her involvement could only lead her into trouble."

Mr. Bell stepped forward. "The Chancellor sent us a book about the history of the Guardians and as we began to read through it, it became clear they always ended up creating so many enemies and their past is plagued with terrible battles and war. This isn't what we wanted for Sarah; she could never be a part any kind of a war."

Gwen nodded. "We all know about the history of the Guardians… and it's true that our role seems to put us at odds with just about everybody at some time or another, but we're not here to make friends. We're here to protect and conserve what would otherwise be destroyed."

Anna smiled. She found Gwen's passion suddenly inspiring.

"So… you're a conservation group?" Mrs. Bell answered. "I… don't understand."

"In a way… yes. Our role in the wizarding world is to make sure everything that is magical… the miraculous creatures, the enchanted objects and places of magical importance, anything we know as being magical significance… all of it would fall under our protection." Gwen stepped forward again.

"Mrs. Bell… weren't you arrested last summer?" The woman suddenly looked surprised. "Sarah told me a couple of month ago. Is it true?"

"Yes… but I'm surprised Sarah would tell you." She hesitated. "It's not something I care to… I mean… it's not something I'm proud of."

"But you do know, of course… that Sarah is proud of you."

The woman frowned again. "She is?"

"Yes, ma'am. You risked your life to keep what Sarah called _the loggers_ from cutting down the trees on your mountain." Gwen looked over at Anna. "We thought what you did was very brave and noble."

"And so do I," Mr. Bell added, putting an arm around his wife's shoulder. He looked down at her. "I keep telling her she shouldn't be ashamed about what happened."

Mrs. Bell stared at Gwen and then smiled. "Are you saying that what Sarah is doing with the Guardians is much like what I did to conserve our forests."

"Yes, ma'am. The Guardians seek to conserve what is magical." Gwen suddenly looked apprehensive. "However, as you know from your own experience… that doesn't mean we will be able to avoid trouble, but it's something each and every one of us has thought about and accepted."

Mrs. Bell stared at her and then came forward to hug the Guardian. "Your parents must be very proud of you, Gwen." She squeezed her tight in her arms and then whispered, "Do you really believe that when the time comes… our Sarah can be brave?"

Gwen looked at the woman and sniffed. "Mrs. Bell… I believe Sarah is lying in that hospital bed right now because she was forced to prove that she was the bravest of us all."

The woman looked over Gwen's shoulder to Anna who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," the woman said, stepping back. She looked at Anna, "To the both of you."

Mr. Bell turned his wife again toward the hospital floor, but then looked back. "You said all but one of the Guardians volunteered to reenter the Mirror of Enlightenment. Who was it then… that never had a choice?"

"It was me, ma'am," Anna answered softly.

"You?" Mrs. Bells' eyes widened. "You were the first Guardian of Castlewood?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sarah never told you?"

The woman stared at Anna for a very long and uncomfortable amount of time before quietly turning away again. "No… she didn't."

200


	18. Chapter 16 - Showtime

Chapter 16D07

Chapter 16 (draft 07)

"Showtime"

ONE

Over the next week, Anna and Gwen visited Sarah Bell every day on the hospital floor during lunch and again after dinner. Everybody's favorite Guardian was improving faster than most would have thought, including Doctor Pearl who set aside most of her duties to care for Sarah exclusively. By the end of the week, Sarah was released with orders to return to the floor each morning for a quick examination.

Sarah's ability to talk to Anna had also improved over the next few days and through her coughing fits and lingering pain, she was able to tell Anna and Gwen what had happened the night she was forced to leave the castle. Although she couldn't tell them much about the person who had hexed her, Sarah did remember the last instructions given to her the night she was seen jumping into the moat. She was commanded to steal something that specifically belonged to Anna from their dorm room, take it into the city, and deliver it to the one enslaving her. Sarah said she remembered entering their room that night to find Anna's belongings scattered about and the Scope of Verosapt in pieces on the floor.

Anna fought back tears as her roommate retold the story about how she tried to fight off the curse forcing her to steal. She was eventually forced to grab a handful of the gems from the floor and head out to deliver them to her attacker. When Sarah got to the drawbridge, however, she quietly divulged how she tried to fight the power of the _Imperious Curse _once again and, in the end, decided on the most desperate of acts to keep from betraying Anna. From that moment on, Sarah could not remember anything until she saw Professor Thordarson waving his wand over her body on the hospital floor.

To Anna, Sarah's story was heart wrenching and, together with Gwen, she found herself completely taken with her roommate's bravery and strength. Anna remembered the Chancellor's words he used to describe Sarah that first night in the hospital. _"She is, indeed, immensely stronger than any of us really know. She will make a formidable Guardian in time; she has proven that fully tonight."_

Anna smiled remorsefully as she watched her friend struggling to tell them all she knew about the wizard who would risk a lifetime sentence in Azkaban just to steal something from Anna's room. After Sarah finished her story, Anna was left with several lingering questions. _Who had enslaved Sarah's will and why? And who had broken into their dorm room before Sarah's arrival that night and nearly destroyed her kaleidoscope? Where was the Ruby of Yu now? And without it, how would she find the vessel holding Leola Grayson a prisoner?_

TWO

The Seer – November 11th

The Ministry of Magic today was forced to acknowledge its disappointment that the criminal Reginald Carter is still at large. Carter, who escaped from Drogo prison last June, is still considered armed and very dangerous and currently remains on the Ministry Authority's Top Ten most wanted list.

"We are all doing everything possible to find and recapture this prisoner," said Lieutenant Doyle of the Ministry Law Enforcement Authority today. "We have evidence the man is still hiding in a remote part of the world away from both Wizard and Muggle population centers and very near the immediate grounds surrounding the prison-hospital."

These statements came as little comfort to many who remain concerned about the lack of information given to the public regarding the steps already taken to recapture Carter or the actual areas being searched.

"As I said in my previous statements," Doyle said early this morning, "the Ministry cannot divulge the areas in which we are searching without also disclosing Drogo's secret location."

Asked why it was taking so long to find the man if, as the Ministry believed, Carter was presently thought to be near the prison, Doyle had no further comment.

"It's very obvious to me that the Ministry has no idea where this madman is hiding," commented Ms. Lisa Bondolt of Larney Massachusetts, the city where Carter was born. "We're all very frightened that he's going to return to our area, but nobody from the Ministry will tell us anything. We're still worried about the escape of SiriusBlack and now this? We haven't seen anybody from the Wizard Authority searching around here, and nobody from the Minister's office has responded to our requests that the Aurors be sent here to protect us."

As the authorities continue their search for this dangerous man, they have requested the public remain calm. Unfortunately, after nearly six months of searching, the Law Enforcement Authority has failed to recapture this murderer and the issue is fast becoming something of an embarrassment to the Ministry of Magic.

THREE

"And the Searchers score again!"

Anna leapt to her feet and cheered along with several Searchers sitting around her while the Defenders in the stands booed and hissed miserably.

"I never realized Quidditch was so exciting," Anna yelled to Gwen over the screaming throng within the stadium.

Gwen leaned in while she whooped loudly. "Oh — it's really popular in Europe. All the world's best teams come from overseas. They really love their Quiddich over there."

Anna watched the Defenders and Searcher teams streaking back and forth in their brooms, passing and catching an odd-shaped ball they were working to get through the hoops at each end of the field.

"It's like soccer on brooms!" Anna yelled.

"Searchers score!" yelled the announcer and the stands erupted in screams of happy delight again.

"What the heck is soccer?" Gwen shouted back as she clapped.

Anna smiled as she looked into the iron gray sky and stuck out her tongue to catch some of the falling snow slowly floating down. As the chilly days of November fell into December, the city of Spellsburg was beginning its holiday push to Christmas with the start of its annual winter carnival. The residents, looking to coax some of the students into an early shopping spree, magically persuaded the newly fallen snow covering the surrounding mountains to waft into the city.

The school's Vollucross teams cheered as well, but were still despondent about the cancellation of their Opening Day. With the attack of dragons still fresh in the Chancellor's mind, there was little hope their season could be salvaged. To make up for the city's disappointment, the mayor of Spellsburg had persuaded Professor Thordarson to allow a Quidditch and Swift Slalom match during the winter carnival. As such, several Crimson Guards where perched on top of the stadium walls, looking for any approaching dragons in the mist surrounding the Shadowed Forest.

Anna whooped as the Searcher team scored yet again to the despondent groans from the adjoining crowd of Defenders. Soon the girls were celebrating the Searchers' win as they headed across the plateau toward Slalom stadium.

"I'll try to get over there as fast as I can," Gwen said, in a grumbling tone of voice.

"Where are you going?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I have to help Sarah prepare for her skiing demonstration this afternoon. It was part of the bet I lost on the Alleghany Pride."

Anna laughed at Gwen's continuing cynicism. "I can't wait to see the reaction of a wizarding school watching Sarah ski down the mountain," Anna told her.

Gwen rolled her eyes again. "Lunacy… that's what it is… pure lunacy." She wrapped her robes tight around her body against the cold and then trudged off, mumbling sardonically toward the city gates and the cable cars.

Anna was still giggling as she thought of Gwen carrying Sarah's ski boots up the mountainside. She found Eric and Damon waiting for her at the slalom stadium entrance gate.

"There you are," Eric replied happily, now sporting a fully formed beard. Anna frowned as she reached up to yank on the thick brush of hair under her brother's chin.

"What? You think I'd miss my first slalom race, old man?" Anna quipped.

"Ouch!" Eric complained, jerking back. "Easy on the whiskers there, sis."

"Knock it off, Anna," Damon scolded her, looking around them angrily. "Eric is a teacher now and you will show him a proper level of respect, or I'll dock the Guardians some more points."

Anna glared back at him. "Yeah, I heard you took ten points from TJ for… what was it? Talking too loud during lunch? It must have pleased you to flex your power again. I don't know who's worse in that Defender union of yours — you or Debbie Dunning."

"Mind your mouth!" Damon snapped back angrily.

Eric stepped between them. "Okay — okay — knock it off, you two. Let's try and keep our arguments civil while in public, all right?"

"Then tell him to quit trying to hurt the Guardians every chance he gets!" Anna shot back. "He's looking for any excuse he can to dock us points." Damon sneered as Eric leaned in.

"Anna, you have to understand, Damon is a Knight and a sixth-year now. You must mind your manners around him and it isn't your place to question his motives." Anna looked appalled. She moved to response, but Eric cut her off. "If you believe you have a legitimate complaint, then you should take it to your Union Knight and she'll talk to Damon or bring the matter to the Student President."

Anna glared back at Damon who looked overly satisfied with Eric's support.

"Yeah… whatever."

Eric smiled. "Good, so when's your first race? We don't want to miss it."

Thirty minutes later, Slalom Stadium was full of cheering students watching the racers circling the field between them. The fliers were chasing a tiny, blue-winged pixie around colored gates called _portas_ that were floating in the air in an ever-changing pattern. Anna watched the other racers following the pixie through the gates as the morning rays of sunshine tried to burn their way through the graying clouds. Suddenly, a flash of light caused the crowd to groan as one of the riders missed his gate and was teleported to a stop in the center of the field. Stomping his door in frustration, the racer rose again to the first gate to begin the chase once more. After a number of laps, a horn sounded and another crate from the stack of pixie houses flew itself open. A streak of blue shot from out of the box and a fresh pixie moved in to replace the first while the racers continued to give chase.

The riders bumped and banged into each other around the turns, looking to gain the advantage behind the pixie leading the way. A rider was unexpectedly knocked from his board and his momentum threw him sideways toward the seated crowd. The audience screamed and covered their heads as another white flash engulfed the rider and his door. A few seconds later, they could see him rising again from the center to rejoin the race.

Finally, one of the older riders passed the pixie to the delight of the cheering crowd watching them and then streaked to the finish line. The horn sounded, signifying the end of the race and the crowd was on their feet clapping madly.

After a long pause, Professor Bots stood and then raised his wand to his throat. "Congratulations Mr. Haviland on a marvelous win and ten points for the Artisan Union. Before our next race begins, I'd like to gather your attention to the mountains north of the city of Spellsburg. At this time, one of our second-year students, Miss Sarah Bell of the Guardian Union, will be demonstrating the Muggle sport of… skiing." He raised his wand into the air and bellowed, "_Projectius Visum!"_

Immediately, the sky above them began to darken and was soon replaced with a mountain scene north of the city. The picture zoomed in and began to climb higher up the mountain's treacherous cliffs and ridges, along a steep and formidable looking face and overhanging peaks covered in thick ice and snow. The picture finally stopped at a small tent perched on the very top of the mountain where two Crimson Guards were seen pulling the canvas doors back. One of the guards motioned to somebody inside and then Sarah Bell slid through the opening and stopped at the crest of the cliff's edge. She was wearing a tight fitting racing suit and a helmet that delivered one very distinct message to the stunned crowd watching her from the stadium below: Whatever this young girl was about to do, it was obviously going to be extremely fast.

The stadium _oohed_ and _wowed_ excitedly as the projection pulled back to show Sarah as a tiny speck on the immense mountaintop. Anna's jaw dropped as she looked at the scene above them and then over to another slalom racer standing next to her.

"She isn't going down that mountain from there, is she?" Anna gulped in surprise.

The boy shook his head before looking over at her in disbelief. "Did Bots say this was a Muggle sport? Does that mean she won't be using any magic or a wand to help her get down?" the boy asked her in astonishment.

Anna knew the answer, of course, but disbelief kept her from responding. The projection zoomed in again and now Anna could see Gwen and TJ reluctantly stepping out of the tent to take up a position behind Sarah. Gwen was now leaning in to whisper something to Sarah and TJ looked too petrified to get any closer to the cliff's rocky edge. The crowd began to mumble their worried concerns as Bots magically spoke through the long distance between them.

"Whenever you're ready, Miss Bell."

On the top of the mountain, TJ was imploring her fellow Guardian. "Sarah, this is crazy! You can't be doin' this, girl! We're too high; it's too steep. Yer gonna break yer fool neck. Be sensible and git back in the tent — please!"

Gwen carefully inched forward to stand next to Sarah on the edge. She looked down.

"Oh… my… God! No way! You can't be serious!" She said fearfully to her friend. She could see Sarah Bell smiling through the red and yellow flames painted on her helmet.

"I'll be fine — don't worry. I've studied the route and most of it isn't nearly as bad as some of the black-level runs at home."

"I… don't even know what that means!" Gwen said, looking down the cliff again. She stepped back. "There's no way a reasonable person without the ambition of killing themselves would do this. Come on… let's go back to the tent and I'll make you some more hot chocolate; your brain must be frozen!"

"Never too late to change your mind, Guardian," said one of the guards looking worriedly behind them. Suddenly there came a loud voice booming up from below.

"Whenever you're ready, Miss Bell."

Sarah looked up and gasped at the sight before her. She could see the image of hundreds of spectators on both sides of the valley in front of her. They were magically floating in the mid-air on her left and right. Sarah looked back and smiled at Gwen and TJ standing behind her.

"I love magic," she said eagerly.

She gave Bots two enthusiastic thumbs up before lowering a dark shield over her face and began sliding her skis back and forth in the snow below her.

"Showtime!" she whispered softly.

"I don't believe it," TJ said worriedly. "She's gonna do it. She's gonna kill herself in' we ain't gonna find her body 'til spring thaw!"

Sarah banged her metal poles together and then leaned forward excitedly.

"At least take your wand with you, Sarah," Gwen blurted out. "That way you can send up red sparks if you get into — OH MY GOD!"

In an instant, Sarah Bell had pushed forward and was gone.

Anna gasped as did the entire crowd within the now standing stadium. She looked over to see Professor Bots lowering his wand as the teachers and even Professor Thordarson rose from their seats to watch Sarah flying down the mountain's face. To their astonishment, Sarah was immediately able to show her total control as she zigged and zagged left and right, back and forth, and down the steep face, gaining more speed as she fell.

The projection zoomed in and they all watched in marveled wonder as Sarah hit a flat area, tucked her poles under her arms, and then leaned down to gain more speed again. The crowd began to cheer and whoop excitedly as Sarah came to a rocky edge and then leaped forward into the air. Her body remained in a tight ball as she flew a hundred feet down the hill.

Despite their fear of heights, both Gwen and TJ were watching from the top of the hill in astonished wonder.

"She's absolutely insane!" Gwen quipped.

"Yeah… but ya'gotta admit… she's pretty darn good. Who'da thought the girl had the guts."

Seconds later, Sarah was already halfway down the mountain while two Crimson Guards flying on doors overhead struggled to keep up with her. She came to another dip and the crowd suddenly screamed as one of Sarah's skis left the snow and wavered for a second through the air, but before anybody could say she was in trouble, she slammed the ski back down in time to leap over another jump. Her body straightened vertically as she slowly turned to helicopter twice through the air before smashing into the snow with her skis pointing downhill again. The crowd cheered loudly again, as Sarah tucked into a crouch once more, her eyes barely peaking up to watch the steep drop coming into view over her clinched fists. Her legs were bouncing up and down violently like pistons while her body remained rock steady in perfect form and control.

She leaned over again, spraying ice into the projection as she rose to hold her line through the thickening snow. She tucked again, leaped again, and landed perfectly in line with the final stretch down the mountain. The crowd was standing and cheering loudly, pumping their fists as Sarah finally reached the bottom and then turned to slide sideways through a billowing curtain of snow shooting up from her skis. She finally stopped and everybody in the stadium, including Anna, was screaming and whooping loudly. Everybody was very impressed with Sarah's uncoiled abilities, and Anna was struck with the idea that she didn't even know the person who had been her roommate for more than a year.

"Absolutely amazing," Bots bellowed over the crowd. "What did you think of the demonstration, Chancellor?" He leaned over to put his wand under Professor Thordarson's chin.

The Chancellor, still clapping happily with the crowd, was beaming with pride. "Full marks for Miss Bell's courage and amazing skill… absolutely wonderful!"

Bots agreed. "Let's give another cheer to Miss Bell for her amazing demonstration. Marvelous… well done. Twenty-five points to the Guardian Union!"

The crowd cheered again as Sarah reached down to release her boots with the points of her poles. The guards who had been following her lightly touched down and quickly moved in to shake her hand. They were sill shaking their heads in obvious disbelief. Sarah raised her skis over her shoulder and waved merrily to the projected crowds surrounding her. The scene above Slalom Stadium began to fade, as the beautiful blue sky burned through the imagines overhead.

"Will the second slalom racers please report to the starting line," Bots announced over the yelling crowd.

FOUR

Still smiling at Sarah's skill, Anna strapped on her helmet, adjusted her wrist pads, and picked up her door. She followed the other racers to the starting line where their flying instructor Mr. Barclay was already waiting for them.

"Step up!" he barked. "Doctor Pearl is in a foul mood this morning, so let's try and avoid spilling any blood today, alright? Watch your spacing and your elbows up there. At the sound of the horn, the pixie will be released and you'll be off. The first to cross the finish line after you've completed three laps and passed the pixie will be declared the winner." He started to raise his horn into the air, but then stopped.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Be on your guard up there. If you get as far as the sixth lap, Mowgawk is scheduled to be released." The racers groaned and Barclay smiled. "Yeah — yeah, I know, but he's waited for his turn just like the rest. Just be careful if you try and pass him. He doesn't take kindly to that."

They all looked toward the stacked cages next to the bleachers and saw the pixie they called Mowgawk smiling back at them through a set of very sharp teeth. He started ranting angrily through the bars of his cage.

"Moo-gak, Moo-gak, Moo-gak… kilw da-wizzids," the creature barked, crossing his eyes and laughing mischievously. "Ahh-hah-hah-hah…heh-heh-yeah! Kilw da-wizids."

Anna looked around at the others and heard one boy whisper to the next, "Foul-cursed, little thing, ain't he? And he doesn't like to be crowded around the gates either. The little demon's been known to take a bite out of more than one racer." Some of the girls gasped when Mowgawk started throwing his water dish at his bars.

"Yes, well… get ready then," Barley replied, raising his horn again and checking his stopwatch. "Five, four, three, two, one —" The horn blasted and one of the cages flew itself open. There was a blur of something blue streaking out from one of the boxes and toward the first gate floating more than twenty feet in the air. As the pixie passed the first gate, the racers watched as the creature reach out to slap the pole, changing the color immediately from red to blue. The racers rose to give chase and they were off.

Anna was bumped and pushed aside as the bigger riders used their weight and muscle to move the slower, less experienced racers out of the way. Soon they were in a line, following the pixie at an incredible rate of speed through the gates, left around the red gates, right around the blue, over the green gates and then under the yellow. Anna couldn't help smiling as she tested the speed of her new board to dip and weave around the gates. _Mr. Porchdow would be pleased_, she thought proudly.

The leaders were desperately trying to get around the tiny pixie, which was looking back over its shoulder as they moved in to pass. They were closing in and the pixie reached out to stab at one of the gates. Immediately, the color of the gate was changed and the racers behind started to jockey about in response. Two of the riders didn't make it and flew themselves around the pole the wrong way, causing them to Disapparate from view. There was another flash in the center of the field where the racers appeared again before flying up to begin the race once more at the end of the line.

After completing a third lap, another horn sounded and the crowd cheered as another cage flew open. A second pixie darted into the race to replace the first and the lead racers began to surge forward, thinking to take advantage of the exchange. Soon the riders were chasing the second pixie through the turns and looking for an opening to pass. Padded elbows and knees bumped and jostled each other as the riders crowded through the turns. One of the racers lost his balance and Anna watched him scream in frustration before disappearing below them in a flash of blue light. Like the others, he appeared once again in the center on his door where he bolted forward once more to rejoin the back of the pack and the crowd cheered as the boy fell in line.

Anna was slowly making her way through the course, using the speed and maneuverability of her wonderful new door to pass some of the slower riders. Soon, she found herself in third place and being bumped and knocked about by a burly seventh-year Laborer to her left. He pushed Anna wide and then abruptly flew left to make his turn around one of the red poles. Anna missed the gate, there was a flash, and then a second, and she found herself at a dead stop in the center of the field. Grumbling angrily, Anna raced forward to rejoin the line.

After six laps, the horn sounded once more and another cage flew open. There was a groan from the crowd as a third pixie shot forward to replace the second. As the new pixie passed his exhausted cousin, the crowd began to boo angrily. Anna looked up to see the new pixie maliciously beating on the other as two of the racers passed them. Finally, the second pixie sped away as the third increased his speed to chase after the riders in front of him.

"Mowgawk!" Anna shouted to another rider next to her. She pointed to the front and the boy looking over at her nodded worriedly.

As the two leading riders zoomed around the gates, Mowgawk began chasing after them, matching their every move with angry precision and Anna was surprised at the level of aggressiveness being displayed by the tiny creature. The riders were glancing back, looking for Mowgawk's expected ruthlessness, while speeding forward toward the finish line. Anna could see them zipping around the gates while looking fearfully over their shoulder.

"Mind your space with that pixie," Professor Bots announced. "He's well known for his mischief!"

Anna frowned. There was much more going on here than even Bots' knew or understood. She concentrated on the blued wings whirring just ahead of her and the Guardian could feel its murderous intentions for the leading riders. And then she watched in horror as Mowgawk suddenly zoomed forward to latch himself onto the ankle of one of the racers. The boy let out a yelp of pain and looked down to find Mowgawk biting with insane viciousness. Anna could already smell the small traces of blood in the air as she flew under one of the gates.

"See here, now," Bots yelled out over the booing crowd. "That there is well outside the rules. Somebody get that pixie under control!"

Another cage immediately flew open and a fourth pixie bolted forward to replace Mowgawk while the Defender he was attacking tried desperately to shake the creature off. The boy was screaming and kicking in a frantic attempt to unhook the creature's teeth from his flesh. Mowgawk finally released him only to fly into the other ankle. The boy screamed again, he fell, and both he and Mowgawk disappeared in a flash of blue light. The new pixie finally arrived to replace Mowgawk and immediately began changing the color of the gates for the riders behind him, paying no attention to the remaining racer ahead.

"A half a lap to go," Bots announced, "and it looks like Mr. Anderson is going win this race. He's completed more than three laps and is the only racer ahead of the pixie. It's going to be a winning mark for… hold on! Somebody get that rouge pixie out of there!"

Anna looked up again and gasped. Mowgawk was back, but this time the creature was attacking the other pixie trying to replace him. He began pounding the other's head and biting his wings as he rode his back. The two creatures screamed and buzzed angrily at each other before the smaller one was brutally sent crashing into the bleachers below. The crowd was on their feet and booing angrily as Mowgawk took off after the leading rider in a streak of blue paint across the sky. Soon Mowgawk was gnawing on the back of the leader's door.

"Moo-gak, Moo-gak, Moo-gak!" the creature snarled, kicking and biting at the wood.

Anna was surprised to find herself in the front again just behind the leader, but was soon pushed aside by Mr. Barclay who was pointing a wand at the attacking pixie ahead of them.

"Back to your cage, you little vicious little fiend!" the trainer yelled. _"Stupefy!"_

A hex shot passed the little creature, just missing him. Mowgawk rudely kicked Anderson's door to the side and the boy yelped and then began to fall until a flash of light enveloped him.

"_Stupefy!" "Stupefy!"_

Barclay was firing stunning spells at the creature until Mowgawk finally turned to face the slalom instructor head on and launched himself recklessly at the wizard's wand. The man yelped as the pixie began to bite his wrist and fingers. There was a loud crack as the wand he was holding snapped in two between the creature's sharp teeth. As Barclay retreated, Anna immediately moved in to take his place behind Mowgawk who had returned to changing the position and color of the gates in front of them.

Anna narrowed her focus upon the creature as he zipped around the gates. She could feel both his anger and immense satisfaction at causing so much havoc to the other racers.

Anna scoffed. _The little devil is quite pleased with himself. _

She could see the creature looking back at her and a bloody smile began to form on his gnarled, old face. Anna crouched down and then pressed forward, looking for an opening to pass.

As Anna closed in, the pixie started changing every gate as he weaved and darted through the course. He looked back and snarled and Anna could feel his frustration building at seeing her getting closer.

For her part, Anna was in deep concentration. Reaching out with her mind to sense his intentions, she noticed every time he reached out to touch a gate she could feel an abrupt spike of purpose. She closed in still nearer, trusting her instincts to tell her in which direction she should take each of the gates.

The crowd watching Anna closing in on the pixie was suddenly aware of her boldness. To them, it seemed as though Anna was guessing amazingly well at what gates were going to change. Left, right, up, down, she was now nearly on top of the creature and still she didn't waiver at how she took each gate in turn.

Professor Thordarson was rising to his feet as he watched. Although it seemed he was just as amazed as everybody else at the Guardian's ability to know where and how the gates would change, there was a far more ominous fear he was seeing in Anna's ability now in full display before the stadium crowd.

Over the last year, the Chancellor of Castlewood thought he understood what the coming of the next Sithmaith meant and what it would mean for the wizarding world. There would be years of strife, conflict, and chaos… and the terrible possibility of war. The old wizard wasn't sure when this war might begin, and was reluctant to think it might happen soon given the youth and inexperience of magic's future protector, but two things were now emerging to reset his expectations: First, of course, was Harry Potter's eye witness account of Voldemort's rising just a few months ago, and second… was the astonishing increase in Anna Grayson's abilities. The Chancellor had been watching Anna closely during her time at Castlewood and working with her father to insure her role and abilities were kept in strictest secret to all but a chosen and trusted few. They felt it important to downplay anything hinting at some futuristic clash of good and evil and the deaths that come from a world thrown into anarchy.

Magic's Sithmaith still needed time; time enough to study both here at Castlewood and within the enchanted mists of evolution that only magic itself could bring to her lessons. She would need as much time as possible if she was going to become what was intended, if she was going to succeed in protecting the magical world. The secrecy of her existence and limits to her visibility were important to insure the completion of the girl's training.

As Thordarson watched Anna chasing the pixie with deliberate shrewdness around the gates above them, it was now obvious to him these limits were not in place in effective proportion to keep the inescapable questions from rising. The old wizard frowned as he watched the crowd cheering enthusiastically for the young Guardian around him. The girl's inadvertent presentation of skill… was indeed reckless.

Anna was nearly on top of Mowgawk now and despite the creature's attempts to cause her failure, she was looking to pass him. The pixie looked back over his shoulder and could see Anna's angry stare bearing down upon him. The blackened eyes, the hint of fangs… what was this thing chasing after him?

Left, right, right, left, over, under — Mowgawk kept changing the gates in an angry attempt to cause the girl chasing after him to falter. There were flashes of light behind them as several other racers failed to keep up with the changes, but still the witch with hair like fire was now bumping him in the back with the point of her door.

Mowgawk finally whipped about angrily to face his pursuer. He screeched and then kicked down hard on the nose of Anna's door and she was suddenly launched over the top and into the air. The creature giggled his delight and victory as Anna fell, but his smile turned to fear as he watched her twist around in midair to point her wand back at him.

"_Stupefy!_

There was a purple flash and Mowgawk was hit with a hex that blasted the creature completely out of the stadium like a streaking comet. There was a simultaneous flash of blue as Anna disappeared and then reappeared on her door for a second time in the center of the field. Frustrated, she turned to join the other riders and finished dead last for all her trouble. The Laborer Union won the race, but the crowd was on their feet and cheering the loudest for the last place racer crossing the finish line.

FIVE

"What a display, you two!" yelled Gabriel over the cheering Guardians. "Wonderful!"

Anna and Sarah Bell were joyously applauded and pounded on the back by their classmates as they entered a very full Tower Room.

"But I came in last," Anna protested. "Sarah here was the true showman." She turned to her roommate who looked both surprised and embarrassed at the roar her skiing demonstration had delivered to the school. "See? I told you they were impressed. You were amazing!"

"Great show — well done!" said another Guardian over the clapping throng of Servers and Artisans who had come to join the gathering.

The crowd quickly fell silent however as somebody tapped the back of Anna's shoulder. She turned to find a small contingent of Crimson Guards looking down at her.

Anna's face fell. "Yes?" she said, nervously. She could tell from the leader's hard expression that something was wrong.

"Are you Anna Grayson?" the guard asked her.

Anna gulped. "Why? What's happened? Is my family all right?" she blurted out worriedly.

The guard's expression remained stern. "Your family is fine."

"Then… what?"

"I would rather not explain in public. You will accompany us into the city immediately. This is not a request."

"Am… I… in trouble?"

The guard turned and pointed with his sword. "This way, please."

Gabriel stepped forward. "What's happening here? Why does Anna have to leave the school with you?"

The guard turned. "Guardian Knight, this is a matter of city security. It does not involve the school, but you may accompany Miss Grayson if you wish. In fact… I think it best you do."

"I'm going too," Gwen answered, stepping in next to Anna.

"That would be inappropriate to the investigation currently underway." He turned back to Anna again. "This way, Miss Grayson."

"What's going on?" Gwen whispered to Anna. Anna shrugged apprehensively as she handed her slalom door to Sarah and then turned to follow the guards out of the tower.

As they headed out the entranceway, Gabriel leaned over. "You have any idea what this might be about?"

"Not a clue," Anna replied nervously.

"You sure? Anything at all come to mind?"

"No — really. I have no idea."

They headed across the drawbridge and there, standing on the city sidewalk, was another group of Crimson Guards waiting for them.

"Grayson and her Union Knight," the guard escorting them said to the other leader.

"Can you tell me what this is about?" Anna asked.

"You will follow us into the city please," said the other guard.

Anna nodded and they were quickly off again. Several of the townspeople were watching them curiously as Anna and Gabriel, surrounded by their Crimson escort, made their way down several city blocks and alleyways before finally arriving at their destination.

There was a larger group of guards gathered in a small ally where several reporters and their cameras were trying desperately to steal some pictures of the scene. Everybody turned when they saw Anna.

"Miss Grayson," shouted one of the reporters, "what can you tell us about this crime?"

Anna was surprised. "Crime? What crime?"

Lieutenant Mantos came forward quickly. "Miss Grayson. Thank you for coming. Follow me, please." The guards parted to allow the two of them into the alleyway, followed closely by Gabriel. They finally stopped next to a pile of litter and toppled trashcans and Anna froze.

"Oh, my God," Gabriel whispered and Anna clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. A body was lying in the alleyway partially covered by a crimson cloak.

Anna quickly stepped forward. "Oh no." She looked at Mantos. "Who… is it; please God, not my family? Please!"

Mantos tried to steady her. "Your family is fine, Miss Grayson. We checked on them after we sent for you. This man was found dead here this morning and we are hoping you could help us identify him. We believe he's somebody you might know."

Anna was surprised. "Okay… I'll do what I can, but… I don't understand… why would you think…?" She suddenly halted when she saw the man's shoes sticking out from the bottom of the red cloak. She recognized them immediately.

"Oh… no… please, God… it can't be…" Anna quickly came forward and then carefully knelt down next to the body. She reached out and fearfully pulled down the cover on the man's face. Anna fell back and screamed. Sidney Heidelbach's eyes were still open in apparent shock and his throat was torn open. He was dead.

Anna covered her face and wailed. She knew from that moment forward, and for the rest of her life, she would see Sidney's blank stare in all of her future nightmares. She slowly came forward to fall over Sidney's chest and sobbed miserably.

207


	19. Chapter 17 - Shackles and Bolts

Chapter 17D08

Chapter 17 (Draft 08)

Shackles and Bolts

ONE

Anna was crying into the dead man's chest. "No… no… Sidney…" She looked into Lieutenant Mantos's face as he gently helped her to stand again.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, but I cannot allow you to touch the body. We have to leave all the evidence we can intact. I know you understand."

"No — I don't understand. What happened to him? Who could have done this to Sidney?" Anna sobbed.

"That's what we intend to find out, Anna. Can I call you Anna?" She nodded, not taking her eyes off Sidney's body, lying so dreadfully still in the cobblestone alley.

"So you obviously know this man," Anna nodded again. "And… you said his name was… Sidney?"

"Sidney Heidelbach, yes."

The lieutenant wrote down the name. "When was the last time you saw him?"

Still sobbing, Anna tried to remember. "About two weeks, I think. Sidney was here on business for my father."

"And… this Mr. Heidelbach… he's a Muggle, right?"

Anna glared back at Mantos. "No… he's a person."

The man frowned. "Of course, I meant no disrespect. How does he know your family?"

"He works with my father. He's an employee of a Muggle bank that my father does business with."

"Why would your father have a Muggle working for him?"

Anna scowled again. The leader of the Spellsburg Guard sounded condescending. "I'll have you know, Sidney is extremely bright and caring." She looked down at the body and sniffed again as another guard moved to cover him once more. "It was an honor to know him. Oh God… his poor family." She wiped her nose on her sleeve and Mantos gave her his handkerchief.

"You must understand, Anna, we have to find out what happened to him. I'm afraid there will be a lot of difficult questions to answer here, so we're going to need your complete cooperation and help on this."

Anna looked back at the Crimson Lieutenant skeptically and then nodded. "I'll do whatever I can, of course."

Mantos jerked a quick smile. "Good. Now then… how did you get along with Mr. Heidelbach?"

Anna frowned. "I… got along fine with Sidney. He was a very, very sweet man."

"Did you ever fight with him… have any disagreements?"

Anna looked appalled. "What? Of course not!"

"Ever have cause to carry a grudge, or report him to your father for anything he might have said or did that was inappropriate while he was around you?"

"No…"

"Can you think of anything that might have put the two of you into conflict with each another?"

"No!" Anna was starting to feel angry. "I don't understand why you would think…"

The sudden clicking and flashing of several cameras at the alley entranceway caught their attention. They could hear several reporters yelling over the gathering crowd.

"Grayson, what do you know about this crime? What can you tell us about the murdered man? Why has your sister summoned here? Has she been implicated in a second murder?"

Anna saw Eric being escorted through the crowd, accompanied by Captain Hayman.

"Eric!" Anna threw herself into her brother's arms. "It's Sidney. Somebody…" she began to cry again, "somebody… hurt him!"

Eric Grayson looked down at the covered body in surprise while holding onto his sister. "My God… Sidney? Are… are you sure?"

"I saw him, Eric. Who would do this to him? Who?"

Captain Hayman was now kneeling over the body and pulled the cover down to look at the Muggle's face. His dead dropped as he respectfully covered him again. He looked over at Eric and nodded.

"Not dead. I… I don't understand," Eric said, still holding his sister tight. "What happened?"

Mantos was motioning Hayman to the side. "There's something you should see, John." The lieutenant pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes and handed it to the captain. "We found this in the Muggle's pocket. It's addressed to Boris Grayson."

Hayman opened the paper and read the words written upon it. A surprised frown fell upon his face as he looked quickly back at Anna and Eric.

TWO

The castle's corridors were darkened by the foul weather outside and due the fact it was well past curfew. The school's students had finished their dinner and returned to their rooms, to their studies and books. A lone rat scampered up the hallway in the darkness and then stopped at the strange sound of scratching behind a nearby door. The rodent cautiously crept toward the mat of light, stretching out from under the door's bottom edge. He sniffed under the door and then dropped his chin to look in. A woman was sitting at her desk, writing a letter.

_December 20__th_

_Miss Grayson,_

_I was alarmed by your last owl to me, recounting your being transfigured into a rat by one of the crimson lieutenants of Castlewood. Apart from the fact this punishment was long since been banned here at Hogwarts, and in most other Wizarding schools, I am most troubled regarding your part leading up to this confrontation and subsequent response. _

_Reversing a transfiguration hex without the use of a wand is very difficult magic, even for the most talented of witches and wizards. You should strive to be more diligent in not parading your gifts so freely to those around you. I beg you to heed my warnings on this matter. _

_That being said, your descriptions of these events seem to confirm my initial view — that your given skills far exceed those of most Animagi. I dare not elaborate here, because our owls could be monitored. We will not be able to communicate in the manner again for the rest of the school year. Do not send any owls to me here at Hogwarts, and I will send my letters to your father when I am away from the castle._

Professor McGonagall leaned back in her chair to think. It was sleeting outside her Hogwarts window again, as it had been all week. The flashes of lightening outside her casement matched the spark of anger growing in her heart since the beginning of the school year. Cornelius Fudge was meddling in the affairs of Hogwarts and was blatantly challenging Dumbledore's control over the school. The thought of it infuriated the woman. She suddenly whipped her wand around and blasted the rat's nose sniffing under her door. There was a sharp squeal of pain from the other side and then the scamper of tiny feet running away. The witch sneered satisfactory, picked up her quill again, and continued to write.

_Anna, you must try harder to control yourself while in public, and especially since You-Know-Who's return. His followers are everywhere, watching all that might be interpreted as a danger to his ambitions. We must assume there would be some form of curiosity about you, and thus the very real danger in drawing too much attention to yourself during your studies at Castlewood. I pray for your caution always._

_Remember my warning about not writing to Hogwarts. I will reach out to you again over the Christmas holiday._

_Your council always during these troubling times, Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Head Mistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

THREE

Anna was still sobbing in a chair in Captain Hayman's office, the shock of Sidney's murder still working its way through her numbed mind. Eric was sitting next to her, holding his sister tight in his arms. Hayman, Mantos and Dunning were going over the reports just given to them.

"Captain, I told you before we should have kept Anna Grayson under guard until we understood and fully investigated the Wendell murder," Dunning whispered. "Now we have another murder to deal with and still no reason to think the girl wasn't involved."

Looking somewhat surprised by this statement, Hayman looked at Mantos who was now nodding his agreement.

"I would suggest restricting the girl's movements, Captain," Mantos suggested. "Even if she's not implicated in these two cases, somebody is clearly making it look like she's involved. For the girl's _own_ protection, it would seem reasonable to keep Miss Grayson inside the castle until the students leave for the holiday."

Hayman was clearly struggling with his decision. "I'm reluctant to hold the girl a prisoner and under house arrest unless the evidence is overwhelming."

"Captain — there were witnesses that saw them together just before his death!" Dunning spat angrily.

"Hold on," Eric said, rising to stand. "Surely, you can't believe my sister had anything to do with this murder."

Anna was stunned as she looked from her brother to the Crimson officers huddled together.

"No…" she murmured softly. "Not me. I would never hurt Sidney. I couldn't have; I liked Sidney very much!"

"Miss Grayson — what we may or may not believe doesn't matter," Dunning snapped back, glaring at Anna. "What matters is the safety of this school's students and the residents within the city."

"But…"

"You were the last one to see this Muggle alive. There were several eye witnesses that saw the two of you walking together the night he was murdered!"

"Hold on… how do you know for certain that Sidney was actually murdered two weeks ago?" Eric asked. "And if true, why is his body only being found now?"

"The body was half buried in the debris within the alleyway to keep it out of sight and a scourgifying spell was used to control the smell," Mantos explained. "But our tests are conclusive about the time of death… it was at least two weeks ago."

Dunning stepped up to Anna. "Let me have your wand."

"My… my wand?" Anna said, suddenly afraid.

"Had it over!"

Anna looked at Eric and then to Hayman. The captain reluctantly nodded to her. She removed her wand from her robes and then handed it to Lieutenant Dunning.

"I'll be testing this wand for any spells that might have been used against this Muggle."

"Good!" Eric quipped. "Then it shouldn't be difficult to quickly clear my sister of this crime. Just keep in mind, Dunning, that Anna is on both the Swift Slalom team and in the dueling club, so you should expect to find more than the casual array of classroom spells in that wand."

Dunning was inspecting the wand closely. "I'm sure I won't find anything out of the norm." He peered over the wand and down at Anna again. "The perpetrator of a _premeditated_ murder would have expected this simple inspection."

"But… Trog was there with me. The three of us were together, and then Trog escorted me back to the castle after Sidney left us."

Dunning could be heard grumbling under his breath about brainless beasts being allowed to roam in the city.

"We _do_ have a sworn statement from Trog with an accounting of Anna's time after Heidelbach left the two of them," Hayman agreed.

"But captain… you can't just set aside all the evidence on the word of a dim-witted ogre!" Dunning shot back.

"Trog is not dim-witted!" Anna retorted.

Dunning turned to her. "As long as his testimony clears you… of course not."

"That's not what I meant! And you'd believe a flobberworm if it told you it saw me hurting Sidney."

Mantos stepped forward again. "Captain… for the girl's own safety…"

There was another knock at the door.

"Come!" Dunning yelped.

"I have a scroll for the Captain from the Chancellor, sir."

Dunning walked over and snatched the scroll from the guard's hand. He looked at Hayman who nodded his approved to open it. Dunning slid his wand over the scroll's seal and it opened immediately. He quickly read through the message and then smiled. He was staring at Anna with uncontained satisfaction as he walked over to Hayman and Lieutenant Mantos and handed them the parchment.

Hayman took the scroll and carefully read through the message. He seemed disturbed before turning to the Graysons. "Anna… I think it's best that we restrict you to the castle."

"What? But…"

"It's just until we can finish this investigation."

"But… that's not fair. It's going to make me look guilty to the rest of the school."

Eric reached in. "Anna, I think this is a reasonable precaution. I agree with the captain on this." Anna looked at her brother in surprise and Eric quickly leaned in to explain.

"Somebody is trying to make it look like you were responsible for this crime. It was the same with Wendell as well, and we have to assume it was the same person who attached Sarah Bell. Somebody is trying to get to you; for what reason I don't know, but until we understand who's doing this and why, I think it best that you stay out of the city."

Anna frowned. "But… I don't understand. Why would you think the person who hurt Sidney was trying to blame me?" She looked at Captain Hayman and then to Mantos and Dunning. She could tell there was something they weren't telling her.

"What is it? You couldn't have thought it was me just because I was with him that night." She looked around again at Eric. "What it is you're not telling me."

Eric looked at Hayman and reluctantly nodded. Hayman slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the paper they had found on Sidney's body and handed it to Anna.

"What's this?" Anna opened the paper and read the following words.

_Mister Grayson,_

_I am reluctant to inform you of my ambitions to end our working relationship, and to those you represent, effective immediately. I have come to this decision out of fear for my personal safety. Over the last several days in Spellsburg, it has become apparent that your daughter, Anna, harbors a very high level of animosity toward me to the extent that I am now fearful for my life._

Anna's eyes widened. "What?" She read on.

_I do not understand what I could have done in your service to deserve Anna's violent reaction to my presence, but it has become abundantly clear to me that for my own safety and that of my family, I must resolve now to stay as far away from your daughter as possible. In addition, I would like set up a time to meet personally and share with you the threats Anna has delivered to me so as to insure she gets the proper care available to one with her obvious medical needs. _

_On a personal note, I hope my services have been of value to you and to your clients. It has been a pleasure working with you without the everyday shackles and bolts of corporate life. I will remain at your disposal for as long as is necessary to transfer any remaining tasks left undone by my expected departure. Until then, I remain in your service until the close of business tomorrow. _

_Respectfully yours, Sidney Heidelbach_

_Westfront International Investment Group_

Anna angrily crumpled the letter into a ball and Dunning immediately stepped forward to snatch it out of her hand.

"Stop that! You're won't be allowed to destroy evidence in a murder investigation!"

"Sidney didn't write that letter — he couldn't have," Anna yelled. "He couldn't have — because I've never argued with him about anything!"

"That's a lie too," Dunning spat back. "When my sister found you last summer with this Muggle in the Shadowed Forest, she said the two of you arguing there as well."

Anna was staggered. "What? But that wasn't… I mean… that didn't have anything to do with…" She looked at Hayman and Eric, lost for words. Both of them knew what happened the night when Sidney was found lost in the forest when he was looking to find Drogo prison and the gold he thought her father had stolen to send to the prison's Secret Keeper. How much detail was Lieutenant Dunning and his sister allowed to remember? What did they still know about Victoria Grayson? Anna's stare narrowed back at Dunning. She was suspicious that his memory had not been completely cleared. Would Castlewood's former Captain of the Guard divulge the truth of what he still knew? It seemed Hayman was thinking the same thing.

"Gregory… can your sister tell us what the two of them were arguing about?"

Dunning's face seemed to deflate. "No. She only remembers following Anna into the forest and hearing the two of them arguing before she sent up red sparks."

"So she doesn't know anything!" Eric argued back, believing the memory charm used on the Dunnings was still in effect.

"I know your sister is lying when she says she never argued with Heidelbach," Dunning shot back.

"For God's sake — if it hadn't been for Anna, the man would have died in that forest. If she had some reason to harm Sidney, she wouldn't have gone into the forest at all."

Dunning sneered. "For all we know, she might have left him out there to die. If my sister hadn't shown up to insure the Muggle got the proper medical attention he needed, who knows what she might have done to him. Remember… it wasn't Anna who sent sparks into the air that night; it was my sister who did that!"

"I tried to send up sparks, but it terrified Sidney. I was there; I know what happened!"

"That's enough!" Hayman bellowed. "Debbie Dunning can't tell us what was said between Heidelbach and Anna, so to say they were arguing is just unsubstantiated conjecture." Hayman took Sidney's letter from Dunning. "And given the fact that the _Imperius_ curse has been used indirectly against Anna already, it could be this letter was also given under duress. We have Trog's statement that he escorted Anna back to the castle that night and then stood guard at the drawbridge from that time until morning; I don't see how Anna could have gone back into the city without his knowledge."

"But Captain… the calculated time of death is not absolute. The man could have been killed up to twenty four hours later.."

"But this report says the wristwatch Heidelbach was wearing was broken on the date and time of his attack. It confirms his death less than an hour after Anna left him," Hayman argued back.

"But… she grew up with Muggles," Dunning retorted. "It would have been a simple matter for her to kill the man the next day and then reset the watch to give her an alibi."

"Simple?" Anna fumed. "You think killing Sidney would have been simple? You're sick!"

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Hayman concluded. "Anna — you're not to leave the castle until further notice. Do you understand?"

"But…"

"Not another word — or I'll lock you in your room when you're not in class! And if I have to put a guard next to you until the end of the school year, I'll do that as well!"

Anna looked at Eric, clearly feeling put upon.

"I agree with John, Anna. It's for your own safety; you'll have to stay in the castle."

Anna fell against the back of her chair with an angry huff.

FOUR

The next morning an owl flew into Mayor Ulric's office window carrying a letter with the Castlewood crest embossed on the front. He opened the letter and read the note from the academy's Chancellor.

_My Dear Ulric,_

_Due to the terrible news coming out of the city about another murder, I am obliged to inform you of my decision to increase the general security of our student residents here at the school. With this ambition set as the highest importance, I have announced the cancellation of both the Quidditch and Swift Slalom seasons. I know this will come as a surprise to some of our city residents who, like the rest of us, look forward to these wizarding games and the fellowship they instill into our community, but I'm sure you would agree with me the children under our care must be our first priority in the weeks again. _

_Yours in Highest Regards, Elimar Thordarson Chancellor of Castlewood Academy for the Magical Arts_

Mayor Prower dropped the letter into the fireplace next to him and heaved miserably.

"The odds-makers will be screaming for my blood!"

FIVE

"I'm very sorry about this, Boris. I truly am."

Boris Grayson sat stunned by the news of Sidney's murder just delivered to him by Captain Hayman and Chancellor Thordarson. Mister Grayson's head fell into his hands in utter despair.

"My God… I don't know what to say. How will I explain this to his boss, John Landers? To his wife and family?" The man shook his head and then looked up at the two heads floating in his fireplace.

"That's not all, Boris. I'm afraid we have more bad news, perhaps just as troubling as the loss of this poor man's life," Thordarson added remorsefully.

"What do you mean, Professor?"

Hayman told Mister Grayson about the letter found on Sidney's body. Its content came as a blow to Anna's father who was on his feet before the last sentence was read to him.

"What rubbish is this? There's no way in hell Sidney could have written that about Anna. It's obviously a forgery!"

"I think not, Boris. Most likely, the letter was forced from the man by one of several methods —probably the _Imperius Curse_." Thordarson's head came forward in the fire. "I presume his references to _shackles and bolts_ was something… prearranged?"

Mister Grayson nodded. "Yes, it was. I told Sidney to contact me or Kingsley Shacklebolt if he ever found himself in trouble."

Thordarson nodded. "It must have taken the will of a very strong man to fight off the Imperious curse enough to add that tiny bit of subterfuge into his letter. I wish now I could have met him."

"Boris, the Ministry of Magic has decided to take the body home to Chicago and make his death look like a local homicide," Hayman added.

Mister Grayson frowned. "What? Is…is that really necessary?"

"Unless you can think of a better way to explain this to the Muggle authorities and to his family?"

Mister Grayson fell back. "It just seems so… disrespectful. Sidney was a very good man."

Thordarson came forward again. I have written to the Captain of the Guard to restrict Anna's movements to inside the castle grounds while they continue to investigate these murders."

Boris smirked. "Anna won't like those restrictions. She's never liked being kept inside."

Thordarson nodded. "It's for the best anyway. Her parade of skills during her last Swift Slalom race was raising some very interesting questions from the faculty. I'm afraid her racing days this year are finished."

There was a long pause before Hyman spoke again. "The man's body was drained of all its blood again, Boris; just like Michael Wendell. We're sure it was the same killer involved in both of these murders."

There was another pause. "It… couldn't be Victoria," Mister Grayson finally struggled to say. "It just… can't be."

SIX

Anna was alone in the Shadowed Forest.

"Trog? Where are you? Please, Trog, I need your help."

She pushed aside the remaining branches of a tree and saw an immense cave standing in a clearing under a very full moon.

"Trog? Are you in there?"

She could see an iron tri-pod standing over a smoldering fire next to a worn stump. Anna stepped into the mouth of the cave and pulled out her wand.

"_Lumos!"_

The cave looked empty, but much too deep to know for certain if anybody was really home.

"Trog — I'm looking for the dragon's lair. I have to find it. Are you in there?"

There was a moan somewhere within the darkness ahead of her.

"Trog… is… is that you? Are you okay?" Anna bravely stepped forward, her wand outstretched in her hand.

Into the darkness she traveled, on and on, while the light of her wand seemed to dim with every step she took deeper into the cave. There was another moan, louder this time, mixed with the gurgled sound of someone struggling to breathe. Anna's outstretched arm began to shake.

"Trog… is that you? Please answer me."

She took another step and her wand's light weakened again.

"_Lumos! LUM-OS!" _she chanted, shaking her purple heart fearfully. The wand sputtered and let out a sharp spark of purple before blowing itself out.

"_Lumos!"_ Another spit of purple was all she could manage. She started to slowly back away, but then tripped. Her wand tumbled out of her hand as she fell to the ground.

"Oh- no. Where is it? My wand, where is it?" Another moan replied.

Anna's hands began frantically sweeping over the dirt around her. She felt the stone walls of the cave and heard the familiar voices.

_Fear not, for we will be your mettle. _

Her hands kept moving until they fell upon something unexpected on the floor next to the cave's wall. It was a large mound. Anna was terrified.

"Oh God…"

She scrambled away from the thing and then found her wand behind her. She gripped it tight, not immediately wanting to use its light."

"_Lumos!"_

Nothing.

"_Lumos-Maximus!"_

A sphere of white light blazed around her and Anna screamed. The body of Michael Wendell lay beside her, his eyes still wide from the shock of his own death and blood pouring from the grotesque tear in his neck. Anna got to her feet, screamed again, and then turned to run. She tripped again and fell on top of Sidney's body. He too was dead and fresh blood was spilling down both sides of his open neck. His eyes were staring at her with the same final look of horror he had given to his killer. Their eyes were locked together in terror and Anna shrieked again. She fell to the side and screamed again and again, waiting for Sidney to blink, to react in some way to her horror, but the dead man's eyes could stare back at her.

"Anna…" came a whisper in a gurgled slur. "Get out… get… out!"

Anna turned and looked down. There on the floor next to Sidney was her brother Eric. His neck was torn open, his beard soaked with blood.

"Oh God — NO!" She fell down by her brother's side. She reached out and then yanked back, not sure what she should do.

"Eric!" She set her wand on his chest and tried to cover his wound with her hands. She could feel his warm blood pushing up through her fingers.

"No!" He tried to whisper. "Get out…" He coughed. "Get out of…"

"Eric… I have to get you out of here… back to the castle. Doctor Pearl can help. Oh God, Eric… tell me what to do. We have to stop the bleeding!"

Her brother tried to pry her bloody hands away. "No… leave me. Get out of here. She's going to kill you."

Anna's mind was drowning in terror. "No — I won't leave you here. Tell me what spell I can use to stop the bleeding. PLEASE!"

And then there came a sound Anna would hear in every nightmare following that night. From out of the darkness surrounding her, a hissing whisper could be heard, and Anna could see her brother's eyes widen with terror at something moving behind her. She slowly turned, and from out of the blackness two red, snake-like eyes slowly came forward. Anna screamed again and then pointed her wand at the thing coming at them.

"No…" Eric thrashed. "Run, Anna. RUN!"

Anna shrieked once more, her wand shaking violently in her hand.

A man's voice was as cold as the grave and hissed as he whispered, "She vexes me… my pet." The shadow of the man began to fall back and then disappeared into the darkness once more as something squatting by his feet growled. It too had red orbs for eyes that revealed a set of murderous fangs below.

"_He's mine!"_ The creature spat, its eyes refocusing upon Eric from out of the darkness.

Anna knew that voice. It was Voldemort's servant, the evil one.

Anna pointed her wand at the thing. _"Reducto!"_

There was a flash, but the creature was suddenly gone. Anna's hex streaked into the darkness of the cave in front of her and disappeared. She could hear the thing's hateful giggles echoing all around her.

"_You're too slow, child. Leave here now or die!"_

Anna looked up to see the eyes glowing down at her from the ceiling.

"I won't leave my brother to you!" Anna screamed back. She pointed her wand again.

"_Everbero!"_

There was a flash of orange light and Anna quickly moved her aim to the left.

"_Everbero!"_

Another flash hit the wall, ricocheted, and hit its mark. The creature screamed and then disappeared into the darkness once more.

"_Your aim is improved, little one… but still…" _In an instant, the thing was upon her. She was behind Anna, her claws digging into her windpipe. _"You're still too slow,"_ the creature giggled. _"I'm going to taste your blood again, Anna."_ The creature licked the side of the Guardian's neck; its tongue was like a metal rasp against her throat.

"NO!"

Anna struggled hard, but the vampire yanked her back straight.

"_No? And why not? Wouldn't you kill me if you had the chance? Tell me the truth, Anna. Wouldn't you kill your own mother if I let you?"_

Anna struggled desperately against the thing. "You're not my mother!" Her body unexpectedly sent a shock through the creature holding her and the thing flew backward against the wall.

Anna quickly turned to point her wand. "And I won't let you hurt Eric anymore."

The evil one growled at her; its eyes bloomed red as she backed into the shadows once more.

"_Silly girl: Your brother is already dead… or haven't you noticed?"_

Anna looked down at Eric still lying on his back in the dirt. His unblinking stare locked into her.

"NO!"

Anna took a step toward her brother and the creature was upon her again.

"_The Master has called for your end, __Sithmaith__. No one will challenge his power. Now you will join your brother and your mother in death!"_ The thing shrieked a howl of delight as her fangs flew into Anna's neck. Anna screamed as the last of her will and bones gave way in one hideous crack.

Anna awoke from her nightmare, screaming into the darkness.

218


	20. Chapter 18 - Christmas Break

Chapter 18D09

Chapter 18 (Draft 9)

Christmas Break

ONE

Security boarding the Allegheny Pride was extremely tight. Each student was asked a number of questions and their security badges checked multiple times before they were allowed onto the gangway. Once they were aboard, the level of scrutiny was higher still, and any Christmas cheer aboard the great ship was lost as the students and passengers were subjected to a number of spells by a group of surly looking Crimson guards that Anna noticed weren't wearing any squadron badges. She could only surmise they were from Drogo prison. Some of the younger first-years were still crying about their harrowing trip in the tramcars, which were continually strafed by angry dragons before the Crimson guards were able to chase them off. When they were finally underway, the ocean trip home was quiet and very subdued.

The news of a second murder in Spellsburg had left those traveling home for the holiday feeling frightened and ill at ease. For Anna, the newspaper stories connecting her to the crime had once again left her feeling strangely out of place aboard ship just as much as it did during her first trip to Castlewood. She felt unfit to be around other wizards and witches. It didn't help, of course, having most of the students staring and covertly pointing at her when she passed by them on the deck and in the passageways as she looked for an empty cabin to hide herself. When she finally found a room where she could be alone, Anna took out the day's copy of the Spellsburg Seer and read the top story.

**2****nd**** MURDER IN SPELLSBURG**

For the second time this year a horrifying murder in the city of Spellsburg has caused fear and panic on the plateau. The victim, whose name could not be released until the next of kin was notified, was found yesterday in the alleyway between Wand's Road and Laborer's Street, just five short blocks away from Castlewood's main entrance. Captain Hayman of the Crimson Guard did not give any additional comments to the public other than those released yesterday. In that statement, Hayman's office confirmed the murder and their continuing investigation to find a motive for the crime and the killer. The _Seer_ has also confirmed that within an hour after finding the body, Miss Anna Grayson was summoned to the scene under Crimson escort. Asked if Miss Grayson was a suspect in the crime, unnamed sources would only confirm the girl knew the murdered man and was helpful in identifying the victim's body. Readers might recall Miss Grayson was also the first suspect of an ongoing investigation of the yet unsolved murder of Mr. Michael Wendell last September.

Anna huffed and grumbled, "First suspect…" before reading on.

The knowledge that a cold-blooded killer is still on the loose in Spellsburg has brought unwanted scrutiny to those charged with public safety in the city. Unfortunately, these incidents come at a time when the Ministry's Wizard Authority has been put on high alert after the escape of the murderer Reginald Carter from Drogo prison. That prisoner remains at large. These concerns and reports, together with the rumor mongering by Albus Dumbledore about _You-Know-Who's_ return, has created an unwanted level of nervousness throughout the city of Spellsburg to a degree unseen in more than a decade.

"Spellsburg used to be a very safe place to live, but now my family is thinking about moving," said Abigail Lawley of Laborer's Street. "When is the Crimson Guard going to catch this murder?"

The Mayor's office released another statement yesterday, confirming they have been in daily contact with Captain Hayman's office and will continue to receive updates until the killer is found.

Anna threw the paper into the corner and laid her forehead down on the table. She thought about her nightmare the night before and the look on Eric's face as he lay dying in that dark cave. His warnings to escape were haunting her. S_he_ was there again. Victoria Grayson, her mother, the vampire. _Was she the one who killed Sidney and Michael Wendell? Was she the reason their bodies were drained of their blood? But why? _The cursed man said her mother had returned to the plateau to protect her. If she saw her fight with Michael Wendell on the day she was following the limping man, would that explain why she went after him? _But why then would she kill Sidney?_ Anna started to sob. _Sidney was such a kind and gentle man. Why would anybody want to hurt him?_

There was a knock at the door and Anna immediately jerked up; she wiped her eyes and looked around. The cabin porthole looked empty.

"Come — in?"

The door opened and Anna groaned under her breath. Damon was standing on the threshold.

"What do you want?"

Damon looked like a person barely able to tolerate the question, but to Anna's great surprise, her brother didn't reply. She watched him scan the room to insure they were alone before closing the door behind him. He came around the table to look down at her.

"You've been crying. Why?" His voice was hard, as if angered by her emotion.

"No I haven't," she lied.

His characteristic sneer finally broke through his guarded façade. "I have to ask you a question."

Anna was surprised again as he came around the table to sit across from her.

"What question?"

Her brother seemed to be evaluating her, seemingly unsure in how to proceed. He leaned back to cross his arms, but his stare remained as sharp as spears."

"What happened to you last June?"

Anna frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Her brother sneered again and then came forward. "What attacked you during the third Triwizard task?"

Anna's eyes widened. "I… I don't know." She started to relay the fabricated story Professor Thordarson had given to her. "I was getting my mount ready for the last race; we were walking near the rim of the forest and… and I guess something grabbed me."

Damon stared at her. "And then…?"

"And then… nothing. That's all I remember. I was told the Chancellor found me and then returned me by apparition back to the plateau."

"That's NOT what happened. I was there when you appeared on the plateau. You were alone. Thordarson wasn't with you."

"So?"

"So… side-apparition would bring both of you to the same location, not just you. And anyway — why would he send you back to the middle of the plateau? Why not directly to the hospital floor? For that matter, why not directly onto Doctor Pearl's lap?"

Anna didn't know how to respond. Her knowledge of apparition was exceedingly limited.

"You've been lying about this since the day it happened, and I've over heard enough of father and Eric's whispering to know something else is going on. I want to know what it is."

"I don't know anything more than what I've told you, Damon. If you think there's more to the story then why don't you ask daddy?"

"Father won't tell me anything, and I've already asked Eric. He's never been as good a liar as you, and you're pretty transparent. Something _is_ going on and I want to know what it is. Now there've been two murders in Spellsburg and the town thinks you were somehow involved. Everybody is looking at our family like we were the carriers of disease."

Anna's stomach dropped. She glanced over to the newspaper and remembered the look of wariness on the student's faces when she came aboard ship. She looked up at her brother again.

"I… didn't have anything to do with those murders, Damon."

"I KNOW THAT!"

Anna was startled.

"You must think me a complete idiot to believe I would think that of you." He pounded the table in front of them, his rage building. "Damn it, Anna… what's this all about? I WANT THE TRUTH — NOW!"

Anna jumped again. She looked at her brother and could see the seething fury in his dark eyes.

"You… believe I didn't do it?" she whispered.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't be dimwitted. Of course I know that, but I also know there's more than what you're saying to Hayman and everybody else as well. What is it? Do you have any idea who might have killed these people? Is it true this Heidelbach person worked for our father?"

"Yes, Sidney worked for daddy."

"A Muggle; a Muggle man — worked for our father, why?"

Anna frowned at him. "Why is that so hard for you to believe? You know daddy works with the Muggles all the time. That's what he does. It's his job to make sure…"

"Don't tell me what I already know! I understand exactly what our father does in both the Wizarding and Muggle world, but he's never had any Muggles working directly for him. Why did he need this Muggle? And why was it necessary to tell him about the Wizarding world? Why was he roaming around in the Shadowed Forest?"

"I don't know."

"But you were the one who found him!"

"Yes… but I can't tell you how he got there."

Damon fell back looking flustered. "You don't know, or you won't tell me… which is it?"

Anna peered back at her brother under a lowered brow. She was about to answer when something strange suddenly happened between them. Damon's stare was boring into her again; she could see the muscles in his neck tightening as his eyebrows began drawing together in their middle, and she could feel a strange and sudden pressure building behind her eyes. It was the Minister's stare all over again. Damon was using the same kind of concentrated magic to seek the truth.

Immediately, Anna's anger was set ablaze. She slammed the gate of her mind closed with such force that a flash of purple light ignited between the two of them in response and Damon was hurled back.

Anna rose to her feet. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at her brother.

Damon looked as if he had been punched in the chest. His eyes blinking, he was trying to regain focus across the table at her. "What… are you talking about?" he finally wheezed.

"I know what you were doing," Anna yelled back. "You were trying to read my mind. I'm not stupid, you know."

Damon tried to rise up to argue, but Anna reached across the table and shoved him back down. "If you ever try that with me again — I'll knock your teeth out!"

Damon looked surprised and then smiled coyly. "Fine… I'm sorry, all right? I'm just trying to understand what's going on."

"Then ask! And stop trying to wrench the truth out of me with your stupid mind games."

Damon was straightening his disheveled robes and trying to reclaim what he could of his dignity. "I didn't realize they were teaching _Occlumency_ to second-year students."

Anna slowly sat down, still scowling at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Occlumency — the power to erect magical defenses against mental intrusion."

"I don't know anything about this… Occlumency," Anna huffed. "And since when did sixth-years start taking classes on mind reading?"

Damon smirked. "It's called _Legilimency_, and they don't teach it at Castlewood. I've been working on it on my own."

Anna frowned.

"I wanted to find out what's going on. I have a right to know what's been happening to our family."

"Have you been using these tricks on Eric… or daddy?" Damon remained silent. "You wouldn't dare try it on daddy… so it must be Eric."

"No… I didn't," Damon finally admitted. "I wouldn't do it against…"

"Somebody who wasn't a simple, weak-minded squib?"

Damon smiled as he fell back. "Yeah… all right… something like that."

"Well — I hope you've learned your lesson. The next time you try something like that…"

"Yeah — yeah… teeth knocked out; I heard you."

"You'd better believe it!"

"So are you going to answer my question or not?"

"What question?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Why was that Muggle working for our father?"

"I don't know, Damon. Why don't you just ask daddy?"

"I already have."

"And?"

"And… nothing. He would only say it was Ministry business… that having a Muggle representative delivering some of his proposals made business sense."

"All right, then. So you have your answer."

"But sending a Muggle to deliver proposals to wizards inside Spellsburg? It doesn't make any sense."

Anna remembered her father's trying to keep Sidney under the watchful eye of the Order of the Phoenix after he had helped them confirm the identity of one of Voldemort's followers; somebody they called _Wormtail._

"Why were you with his man the night before he was murdered?" Damon asked her.

"I met Mr. Heidelbach when daddy was showing me around the Ministry in August. He was a very nice man; he thanked me for helping him when he was lost in the Shadowed Forest. I saw him again when he arrived in Spellsburg on business for daddy and we talked. That's all."

Damon looked unconvinced. "Okay… fine; if that's all you know…"

"That's all I know, Damon."

There was silence for a time between them, but Damon never took his eyes off of her. Then he finally asked, "What is this… _Sithmaith_?"

Once more, Anna was surprised by his question. "What?"

"You heard me. What is this… this word Sithmaith? What does it mean?"

"Why don't you just go look it up?"

"Because all the library books on the subject were removed and taken to the new Guardian Hall, that's why."

"Oh… I didn't realize…"

"So…?"

After all her denials, Anna had the sudden urge to give Damon something… some small portion of information that might pacify him.

"It means…_ Bringer of Peace._"

Damon frowned at her. "I see. And this… _bringer of peace_… is supposed to be the leader of the Guardians? Both in the past… and now?"

"That's what they say."

"And you… you're supposed to be this Sithmaith, this leader?"

Once again, Anna was surprised. "I never said that. Who told you that?"

"That's what the Mirror of Enlightenment called you during the _joining_ ceremony last year."

"Oh…" Anna had forgotten that fact.

"It would make sense that the first Guardian in more than fifteen hundred years might be this supposed leader," Damon surmised. Anna didn't answer him.

"Nothing to say? No acknowledgment? Are you denying you're their leader, then?"

"Yes… I mean… no… I'm not the leader of the Guardians. I'm only a second-year."

"So?"

"So… I don't know enough about anything to be a leader."

Damon scoffed. "You knew enough about Occlumency to stop me. And you've learned enough magic in your first year to keep Dowla and Tencha on their guard all summer."

"And you," Anna replied flippantly.

Her brother's lip curled. "Yes… possibly. So how is it you've come so far in such a short a period of time? Does it have anything to do with you being this Sithmaith?"

Anna was annoyed. "I don't know, Damon. To tell you the truth, I only know what daddy and Chancellor Thordarson have told me, which isn't much. Yes, the Sithmaith is supposed to be the Guardian leader. And yes, this _Bringer of Peace_ has always been a powerful witch or wizard in the past. But they also said my future is completely up to me to decide. It's not about what I'm meant to be, but whom I choose to be. I own my own destiny."

Finally Damon seemed, if not satisfied, at least finished for the moment. After another long pause, he got to his feet. They could feel the great ship splashing down and the cheer of the students on the decks above them.

"I have to go up and prepare for the docking. No doubt that idiot Reye will be waiting for us aboard the BB5." He leaned in. "You didn't tell me very much about what's been going on, Anna, but you should know that I have a right to know what's happening and especially if any of us are in danger. I trust you to let us know if we should be on our guard." He straightened and then slid himself around the table to the door.

"Damon…" Anna called without looking back.

Her brother opened the door and turned. "What?"

She looked back at him, thinking of Voldemort. "Be on your guard."

Her brother frowned at her. "Should I be watchful for anything in particular?"

Anna tried to force a smile. "Just… be careful, okay?"

He frowned again, gripping his wand tight in the pocket of his robes. He nodded cautiously, looked left and right in the hall behind him, and then left the cabin.

Standing in the hallway outside, Damon stopped to think. _"So… both our father and the Chancellor have been advising her about her role as a Guardian leader."_ He turned and headed for the stairs. _"Things are far worse than I thought."_

When Anna reached the top deck, the gangway was already in place and several students were bouncing down the ramp to the docks below. The weather was much colder than the day they set off for Castlewood in September; the skies were a powder blue and the air far less humid.

"So what did your brother, the chinless-one, want to talk to you about?" Gwen asked Anna as they headed down the gangway.

Anna looked back and frowned. "How did you know…?"

"Damon asked me where you were. I guess he found you, then?"

"Yeah, he wanted to know if I knew anything more about the murders than what I was willing to say to Captain Hayman."

Sarah, who was walking in front of Gwen, looked back. "Wh… what… di…di… did you tell him?" She was still have difficulties speaking directly to Anna

"Only that I didn't know anything."

"I'll bet the doofus thought you actually killed them, didn't he?" Gwen replied with a growl.

"Actually… he knows I didn't do it, but he suspects there's more to the story than what daddy was willing to tell him.

Soon the girls were parting company. "Let us know what Mrs. Porchdow says about… you know," Gwen whispered and Anna nodded. "Try to have a Merry Christmas, okay?"

"Yes… M…Merry Christmas, An… Anna, to you and your f…f…family," Sarah Bell added with a forced smile.

Anna tried to smile back. "You too. Merry Christmas. I love you guys."

They all hugged one last time before turning away to look for the boats that would finally take them home.

TWO

Three hours later, the cars carrying the Grayson children were crunching to a graveled stop in front of the entryway of the Grayson estate, and the front doors of the mansion immediate threw themselves open. Mister Grayson, Mrs. McConnell, Gabby and Widwick were bustling out to greet them with widening smiles and Christmas cheer. Although it had only been three weeks since the master of the Grayson house had seen his children, their reunion was both blissful and festive. And given the somber state of the students sailing home aboard the Allegheny Pride a few hours earlier, the Grayson children were easily provoked into the merriment afforded the holiday.

The evening meal that night was a joyous celebration, the WDs superb. There were many toasts to the family, both those sitting in the dining room and those watching from their portraits, and they went to bed late that night filled with the joy of being together as a family once again. Exhausted as the children were, nobody wanted the first night at home to end.

When Anna entered her bedroom, she found a dusty, vacant smell beneath the scent of Gabby's favorite magical solvents. The elf had obviously been cleaning the room in excited preparation of her mistress's return. The thought of Gabby relentless preparation for her homecoming made Anna smile, as she finally fell onto her large four-poster bed. But as it always did in the quiet and passing moments that followed a happy event, Anna's mind quickly fell to her ally, to the imagines of Michael Wendell lying dead in Swooper's stall, and to Sidney.

_Poor Sidney._ The picture of his covered body, lying in the alleyway in Spellsburg, broke down Anna's mental façade of holiday cheer and she quickly covered her face to keep from crying.

"No… it's Christmas; try to keep the happy thoughts." She said, before heading for the bathroom. After a quick shower, Anna fell asleep thinking absent-mindedly of Christmas and the magical voices singing among the decorations within the stone chapel.

The ocean outside crashed forward and then pulled back, the ebb and flow of the evening's tide the only thing marking the passing of time. Hours felt like minutes as Anna slept on, and she was surprised when she was rudely awakened a few hours later by a tiny voice in the dark.

"Miss Anna? Iz youse awake?"

Anna's eyes snapped open to see an elf sitting on the bed next to her. "Gabby…? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Gabby iz sent to collect her mistress. Youse needs to see the gardener."

"The… what?" Anna replied groggily. "The gardener?"

"Yes — yes. You iz to go downstairs. The gardener… she is sending Gabby to fetch her mistress. She says it iz most important she speak wif youse."

Anna's eyes widened. "Mrs. Porchdow?"

"Yes — yes, she iz below the glassy doors now."

And then the obvious hit Anna as she looked at the doors to her balcony. _Mrs. Porchdow wants to talk in the middle of the night? The Ally! She must have something to report_. Quick as a flash, Anna jumped out of bed and ran across the room. She tore back the balcony curtains, flipped the lock, and opened the doors. The air outside was warm and wet from the ocean below and the sound of crashing waves immediately threw her mind back to Leola Grayson's falling body. She stepped outside and looked over the railing. She could see a woman stepping out from the shadows and into the moonlight by cliff's edge. She could see Mrs. Porchdow's face smiling as she looked up at her.

"Hi!" Anna called down.

The woman waved her to be quiet and motioned for her to come down.

"All right; I'll be down in a minute," Anna whispered back.

A moment later, Anna was creeping down the staircase, listening for Cookie's familiar snores coming from his newel post. All was quiet. She ran into the kitchen and then to the back door, wrapping her bathrobe tight as she tried to look outside to see. She opened the door and stepped into the light of a very full moon.

"Mrs. Porchdow?"

"Quiet, child." Edith Porchdow emerged from behind the hedges. She too was still in her nightclothes.

"Come in," Anna said quickly, motioning her back toward the kitchen.

"No, we should speak outside. The portraits mustn't hear us."

Anna nodded, quietly closed the door behind her, and then followed the woman toward the cliff's edge.

The wind howled up the rocky wall, bending the long grass away from the edge. Almost expectedly, there was the feeling of terrible vulnerability stabbing at Anna's soul, and one thought kept running through her mind over and over again: _I forgot my wand._ She found herself looking around warily and immediately knew something else was nearby; somebody unseen was watching the two of them. She could feel its anger suddenly raging as he peered out to watch them from where he was prowling.

The wind howled as a cloud overhead crossed over the moon to darken the woods around them. Anna couldn't contain herself any longer.

"Well? Did you find her? Did you find Leola?"

Mrs. Porchdow turned; her eyes were already filled with tears.

"No… child. I… I couldn't find her." Anna's heart sank as the woman came forward looking to comfort her. "I've looked everywhere… the house, the stables, all over the grounds. And then I heard the voices in the chapel telling me to check the beaches, but I couldn't find anything there either. I don't know where to look next…"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa," Anna interrupted her in surprise. "What voices? You heard voices in the chapel?"

Mrs. Porchdow looked at her and then smiled coyly. "Isn't that the reason you sent me there in the first place? To hear the voices within the church?"

"So… you… could hear them?"

"Yes I did… not very well, mind you. At first I couldn't hear anything, and then they were only barely there. Eventually, however, I was able to make out…"

Anna reached out and immediately hugged the woman. "I can't believe it!" she said excitedly. "You heard them!"

Mrs. Porchdow was surprised at first before realizing why Anna was so happy. She smiled and hugged the girl back.

"Of course I heard then, child; of course I did."

Anna looked up. "You're the first Guardian other than me who ever said they could hear them speaking."

Mrs. Porchdow frowned. What did you think… that you were going mad? That the voices were just your imagination running amuck?"

"Well… after a time, I knew they _were_ real. It just makes me so happy to know somebody else can hear them too."

The woman smiled back at her. "Well, I can't say as I heard them all that well, maybe every other word is all: They said to look for Leola's vessel somewhere on the beach."

Anna frowned. "The beach? Where on the beach? What are we looking for?"

"I don't know, exactly. I've looked up and down the coast between the cliffs and the water's edge. It could be anything — a rock, an old shell perhaps; who knows? I started collecting all the driftwood and anything else I could find below the cliffs and brought it up to my tool shed. I didn't want some of the kids making a bond fire out of it. I think Mr. Porchdow is starting to think I've lost my mind with my beach collection. I really don't know what we're looking for, but I couldn't take a chance and leave something important behind."

"Smart thinking; let's go take a look… maybe together we can find what we're looking for."

Mrs. Porchdow stopped her. "Not tonight, child. It's late and you should be in bed. I just wanted to tell you what I've been doing since you left for school. We can look through my collection in the morning."

"But…"

"Not another word! Besides…"she sighed reluctantly, "I don't think I found what we're looking for anyway."

Anna frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"I don't know why, really. I suppose I expect we'll know it when we find it, when it's finally in our hands."

Anna thought and then reluctantly agreed, looking longingly toward the sound of the ocean behind her.

"And don't you even think about going down to that beach tonight, young lady. You are not allowed off the property unless one of us with you." She saw Anna looking incredulous. "Your father's orders," the woman finished with a final tone of warning.

"We could go back to the chapel again and see if the voices can tell us more about where to look," Anna added hopefully.

"The chapel is off limits right now," the woman replied. "Your father has been working there for more than a week in preparation for Christmas. He won't allow anybody near the place until Christmas Eve."

Anna suddenly looked to the side. The lurking one she had sensed earlier was coming forward now and the Sithmiath was immediately put on guard.

"What's wrong?"

"Shush!" Anna motioned warily.

"What in dang-blazes is goin' on here?" yelled a voice coming out of the darkness. A very angry-looking ghost was crossing the garden toward them.

"Oh — hi, Cookie. Ah… we were just talking."

The ghost stopped to rise up above them. He looked furious. "Talkin'? What in tar-nation were ya yakin' about at this time of night?"

"I beg your pardon?" Mrs. Porchdow scoffed angrily. "A conversation can still remain private, even in these days of uncertainly."

Cookie's eyes suddenly brightened and looked white hot, and Anna groaned as their phantom protector's hair suddenly exploded into misty flames.

"Enough of this back-sassin'! I'm the sheriff in this here town, and I say yor bein' out after curfew is highly suspicious. 'Xplain yerself, orin' I'll have yer hides hangin' high to dry before sun up!" He glared over at Anna. "And yer daddy'll take it from there!"

Anna gave a significant look of fear back to Mrs. Porchdow.

"Please, cookie… there's no reason to tell daddy I was out. I'll go back inside right away." She immediately knew she had said the wrong thing.

Cookie's brow furrowed deep. "Whatdaya hidin', girl?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all, I just couldn't sleep so I came out for some air."

Cookie's hair started to spark and sputter once again as he glared back at the gardener. "And you?"

"I couldn't sleep either and went for a walk…"

"In yer sleepin' wears?"

Mrs. Porchdow closed her eyes, trying with all her strength to hold in her anger. "I saw Anna walking in the garden and so I came over to warn her it wasn't safe to be outside."

"Oh — so ya thought ya could do my job betterin' me, huh?"

Anna could see Mrs. Porchdow had reached her limit of restraint. "Of course not! I didn't even know you were even out here. What are you doing outside anyway?"

Cookie came forward to point his misty finger at her. "Protectin' those who shouldn't be out after dark in the first place, that's what. Now — you two haul yer carcasses back inside where ya belong, or by gads I'll sound the alarm. Now… git!"

Mrs. Porchdow was livid. "Now you listen to me, you half-baked ass-rider… I won't have you…"

"She means that'll be fine, Cookie!" Anna interrupted her. "I'm really sorry we broke curfew, and we'll never do it again." She quickly turned to Mrs. Porchdow. "I'm sorry I got you into trouble, Edith. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Anna's eyes were looking pleadingly at her.

Mrs. Porchdow drew a deep breath. "Apology accepted. So… like I was saying before this… thing… interrupted me…" the woman said, scowling back up at Cookie again. "You'd better go on back inside."

"Yes, ma'am …" She turned to look at the ghost again. "Goodnight, Cookie." She opened the kitchen door and quickly fell inside to the sound of Mrs. Porchdow and the ghost arguing behind her.

THREE

"Father — I don't like what's happening in Spellsburg and I think Anna could be in great danger if you send her back to Pennsylvania!"

It was the next morning and Mister Grayson and Eric were arguing across his desk in the manor office.

"I agree it would seem somebody is targeting Anna for these deaths in Spellsburg and, as of yet, the Chancellor and I don't understand the meaning of these moves against her."

"Who cares what the motives are, father. All that matters now is our agreement that Anna shouldn't go back."

An unexpectedly whistle started to emanate from the stone bowl on Mister Grayson's desk. He leaned forward in his chair and gave a sharp rap on the edge of the bowl with his wand.

"Report!"

A spark of blue sputtered and then ignited with pale flame.

"Director…" came a heavily muffled voice from within the fire, "I must be quick — all lines of communication are now being monitored by the Ministry. I have confirmed the reports from the Order of the Phoenix that Arthur Weasley has been taken to Saint Mango's hospital a few hours ago."

"What's his status? Is he all right?"

"It's too early to say. The poison from the snake that attacked him was set with highly dark magic. They'll know more in the next twenty four hours."

Mister Grayson sighed heavily. "Very well, thank you for the update. Please… give Molly my prayers for a speedy recovery."

"Very well, sir."

"Are you still at Castlewood?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell Thordarson his owl arrived a few hours ago and I have agreed to send Anna back to him after the holiday."

"Father — NO!" Eric argued.

There was a moment's pause before the faceless flames from the bowl spoke again.

"Sir, I agree with your son. Is this move a prudent one, given the current situation here? Wouldn't it be wiser to keep the girl with you in California?"

Mister Grayson drew another heavy sigh. "I have my reasons for sending her back that have nothing to do with prudence. Things are not always what they seem. Your presence at the castle proves that fact. My family and I thank you." There was another long pause.

"Very well, sir. Goodnight to you, and Merry Christmas."

There was a sharp pop and the fames over the bowl were suddenly gone.

"Father, I don't understand. Why are you sending her back? Why?"

Mister Grayson fell back in his chair, looking bewildered. His Muggle tie under his wizard robes lay lose and unknotted, his normally mirror-finished shoes replaced with house slippers, and he carried the uncharacteristic appearance of one unkempt, tired, and very worried. Eric thought his father looked like a man who hadn't slept in days. He finally lifted his gaze to stare back at his son.

"Remember when I told you on the BB5 last June that you and Thordarson were the only men I trusted to keep Anna safe?"

Eric frowned. "Yes, sir."

"It's important you understand how much it means to me to know you're in Spellsburg, that you remain close to your sister there. You must protect Anna while she's is out of my reach."

"But wouldn't it be easier to protect her if I understood why sending her back was so important," Eric replied warily.

Eric's father stood and then turned to stare at the portrait of Victoria Grayson behind him.

"There are several reasons I feel she must return. First, she's under investigation for two murders in the city. If she doesn't go back, the press will immediately assume she's guilty… that she's hiding."

"To hell with the press, Father. Captain Hayman knows Anna is innocent; nothing else matters."

His father grimaced. "Oh… but it does matter, Eric. It matters a great deal, because the suspicions on your sister also cast a cloud over the Guardians as well, and it puts their mission in very serious jeopardy. Anna must return to show our confidence that she is completely innocent of these crimes."

Mister Grayson paused to think again. "It might be unfair to say this, but the existence of the Guardians will always draw questions and doubt about their _mission_ within the magical world, just as it did in Merlin's time. Their purpose cannot be compromised before it has a chance to start. And the Guardians will undoubtedly need a leader if they hope to succeed."

Eric shook his head, his fear clearly evident. "Anna doesn't consider herself the leader of the Guardians yet, father. She's never accepted herself in that role and… I don't think she's ready."

Mister Grayson nodded. "She's so young; it's too soon to think she would accept the duties of leadership unless it was forced upon her. You and I _must_ prepare her for what is to come, Eric. Voldemort is growing stronger, and Dumbledore believes he'll stop at nothing to retrieve the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries in London."

"Did Dumbledore tell Thordarson what this prophecy was about or why it's so important to him?"

"No. Dumbledore has decided to keep that information a closely guarded secret," Mister Grayson took a tired breath, "but Thordarson believes it has something to do with Harry Potter."

Eric was surprised. "_The Boy Who Lived?_ I don't understand. Why would a prophecy about the Potter boy be so important to the Dark Lord?"

"I don't know, but the attack on Arthur Weasley at the Ministry tonight proves its importance and significance to him beyond any doubt." He turned to face Eric again. "But this works to our advantage. Chancellor Thordarson and I believe as Voldemort wastes time trying to get to the prophecy, it buys us the time we need to prepare Anna and the rest of the Guardians for their mission."

Eric reluctantly nodded. "And the Guardians cannot prepare themselves if Anna is hiding here at the mansion?"

Mister Grayson turned again to look up at the portrait of his wife. "Yes… but there's another reason I believe Anna must go back…"

Eric could hear the fear in his father's words building.

"What is it, Father?"

Mister Grayson signed again. "Our reports tell us…" he stopped again.

"Yes? Please… you must tell me, Father; I beg you to share your suspicions with me. The family is stronger in this together."

Mister Grayson was solemn, his expression set in grave relief within the soft glow of the golden globes lighting the room around them. "They have confirmed… Victoria Grayson has indeed returned to Spellsburg."

Eric was stunned. Unable to speak from shock, his mouth fell open and all he could manage of a response was disbelief.

Mister Grayson looked up at the portrait again. "Our spy is telling us… _he_ has sent Victoria to the plateau for one specific purpose."

Eric was listening intently; there was no reason to explain to whom he was talking about, but the name rolled off his tongue with a quiver anyway. "Voldemort?"

"I know Anna told us this cursed man, this person who supposedly escaped from Voldemort, informed her that this might happen, but the information had to be confirmed. Voldemort is worried about the Guardians, and… he's sent Victoria to Anna with an offer to join his army of Death Eaters." He turned to face his son again. "To join them…or die."

Eric was struggling to rise out of his chair; he was shaking in fear. "She can't go back," he whispered. "Father — Anna can't go back to Spellsburg. The mission of the Guardians will have to wait."

His father dipped his head, almost too afraid to look at his son. "As a Guardian yourself, you more than anyone should understand this is the only time Anna has to prepare. There's no time left to us."

"But she can't go back; not when we know Voldemort is trying to get to her?"

Mister Grayson looked pale and miserable. He looked like a man barely holding onto his wits with every moment that passed between them.

"Why do you believe Anna kept the secret of Drogo to herself?"

Eric was surprised by his father's sudden detour.

"What?"

Mister Grayson looked despondently at Eric. "Last year… when she found out Drogo prison was on the plateau, and then later when she learned her mother was being kept a prisoner there, she never came to us. She never reached out to allow me the chance to confirm or deny this information. Have you ever asked yourself… why? Why would she keep quiet about something as important as this?"

Eric thought about the question and then answered. "Anna has always been rather secretive about nearly everything, especially when it comes to the things of magic. Remember the day she admitted she had been playing with that mountain lion on the estate grounds for months before Gabby sounded the alarm? I think it's outside her nature to share her secrets and deepest fears with anybody."

Mister Grayson nodded. "Yes, a very good observation on your part, Eric, and one I believe gets to the root of what she's become. It remains to be seen if her habits of concealment come out of the environment she's grown up in, or is it something contingent to her role as Sithmaith."

Eric suddenly realized the obvious. He immediately sat again. "You think she knows more than what she's saying, don't you?" Mister Grayson didn't answer him. "You think Anna already knows her mother is somewhere on the plateau? That… perhaps… she's already made contact?"

"I don't know if that's true or not, but the real question is this: Would she tell anybody if her mother approached her to deliver Voldemort's message? Would she warn Captain Hayman or the guards of Drogo if her mother confronted her?" He looked at his son. "Would she fight her mother… or embrace her?"

Eric turned angry. "She must fight, father! If Victoria Grayson is trying to get to her, Anna may be unaware if her true ambitions. This cursed man said Victoria was there to protect her from Voldemort, but that could be a lie. Anna could be blinded by love without knowing Voldemort's intentions. She must be warned!"

There was a knock on the office door and Mister Grayson immediately stood to walk around the desk. "You're right, Eric." He opened the door leading to his conference room and found Greechins, his Ministry assistant standing on the other side.

"Mister Grayson, these two visitors just arrived by _Ignatia_ powder. They said you were expecting them?" The goblin stepped aside to allow a large man and a young woman to enter the office space. Eric immediately stood.

"Eric, I believe you remember two of your old classmates and fellow Guardians from Castlewood, John Dell and Ines Valeria?" Mister Grayson said, showing the two inside his office. "Please come in — welcome to the Grayson estate."

Eric looked surprised. "Ines? John? What… are you doing here?"

John Dell, a formidable man who stood close to seven feet tall seemed to make Mister Grayson's office cower in his presence. He was wearing tattered working clothes on his massive frame and a large-rimmed and weathered hat that covered his prematurely balding head. John was a bit older than Eric, even though they had graduated in the same year at Castlewood. It was said the brutish boy who came to the academy nearly a man, couldn't begin his formal wizard training while caring for his ailing mother. Having started school so late in life, he was now in his early twenties, which collected a favored nickname given to him by Eric.

"Old man… it's good to see you again," Eric shook his friend's enormous hand, "really good to see you. Ines… you're looking as beautiful at ever," Eric commented, hugging the pretty young girl with raven hair and deep blue eyes.

"Flatterer!" Ines replied quietly with a smile. "You always had a way with words, Grayson."

Eric smiled as he looked back at Mister Grayson. "I don't understand, father. Why are they here?"

Mister Grayson pointed to the open couch, "Please… make yourselves comfortable. Greechins will take your hat and cloaks."

Ines removed her finely tailored cloak and immediately sat. John Dell, not trusting his weight against the couch's smaller frame, agreed to stand. He removed his hat and dropped it uncaringly on top of the goblins head and shoulders down to his waste.

"Thank you, sir," the goblin's voice grumbled echoingly from under the hat. After Greechins left them, Mister Grayson came forward.

"Thank you for coming, both of you. I received your owls earlier today and I'm very happy to know you've accepted my offer."

"Offer? What offer, Father?" Eric asked, stopping short as he lowered himself to sit.

"Yer father has offered us jobs, Eric. We're going back to Spellsburg," John Dell answered him.

"What?" Eric looked at Ines.

"That's right," the girl added. She looked at Mister Grayson and smiled. "I believe your father is being much too generous with his salary offer for what he's asked of me, but I can't dissuade him further without sounding ungrateful."

"Not other word about what I'm paying you. You're presence in Spellsburg is worth every penny."

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Eric finally said.

Mister Grayson smiled. "John and Ines have agreed to work in Spellsburg for me until the end of term this summer. He looked at John and Ines again. "But let me be sure you understand: You're not working for me as a Director at the Ministry of Magic. You're working for me personally."

John Dell smiled. "Good — I prefer it that way."

232


	21. Chapter 19 - The Disappearance of Wictre

Chapter 19D08

Chapter 19 (Draft 08)

The Disappearance of Wictred Meliflua

ONE

The smell in the air only hinted at the damage done around him; it was thick with smoke and malevolence for its cause. Although he understood the truest responsibility sat with one of his own, he grumbled his blame at those he believed were at the core of the ruin before him.

"_Humans."_

His eyes are closed tight, but couldn't hold back the angry tears that spilled down the silver-touched fur of his face.

"_Such treachery!" _

The Great Ape of the Verosapt sat alone in the center of several ancient trees near what was once his home. Their bark smoldered in a twisting, rising circle of smoke that seemed to laugh at him for caring. The remaining glint of orange singe looked like demons peering through the smoke as they licked at the cracks and splintered crevices. For thousands of years these trees had stood there, his cousins in life, and remained untouched by those who would cut them down and drag them off; to turn them into things in which to sit themselves, to warm their stoves and baths, or worst of all… to make the wands that hide their hideous cores made from the hair, teeth and hearts of the hoard that see.

"_Hideous treachery…"_ the ape moaned.

If not for the knowledge he only now understood, he surely would have flown into a rage. And if not for this same knowledge, he would have sought the destruction of those who's actions betray and great creator his finest works. His upper lip curled in a wave of malice across his fangs, repeating the message locked deep within his soul since before his cousins, now crying their horrible tears of ash, stood as seedlings to his knees.

"_They are absent of care."_

His loathing of man was strong, but he knew his own destruction would surely come by their hands if he were to act on his unkempt impulse for revenge… but what a pleasure it would be to kill so many before they brought forth the means in which to end his long life and perhaps… put his soul to ruin. But before his last breath was surrendered, it would please him to know he had bathed in the blood of revenge, sweet retribution for the terrible stench now burning its way into his brain.

But the truth just revealed held him back. It is there for all to see… even only if he alone could see it. His heart understood its significance, and it was the certainly of this newfound knowledge that kept him from acting out his own rendering of justice. Yes… a great certainty now gave his mind and actions pause. It was so astonishing to him that it moved to sweep away his own need for blood. The weight of two immense beings had merged into one, creating a power that could only exist but for one purpose: To match something equally powerful and opposite to it. Balance was always present in the world, even if the enemies of oppression were as scattered as the leaves of his fallen cousins surrounding him, gone to dust in those smoking, rising currents to heaven. Yes — two beings had merged to counter the weight of wickedness, surely.

His lips opened to reveal the truth to his family, standing like smoldering skeletons around him; silhouettes only to their past greatness.

"_The Keeper of the Verosapt and the Bringer of Peace… are now one."_

This unbelievable truth made to give him pause; for he understood its meaning clearly: It fated the entire hoard to a greater battle yet to come. Oh the sweet and ruthless ecstasy of it made him breathe deep the foul smell of restraint.

As far back as he could remember, and that was a very, very long time, it had never happened in the history of wizards or within the hoard that see. So why had it happened now? Only one answer came into his mind and it would immediately bleed his soul of strength; it terrified even he who had feared nothing brought into this time of men and magic.

"_The zeal of evil is very strong now. It is thus now the sea set against the storm. But the Keeper is blinded and absent from the hoard's sight due its high stature. But what wilt the Keeper seeketh if it were to retrieve the __blood-stone__? I seeth several shadowed roads ahead: Wilt she seeketh love and call for its mother? Wilt she seeketh revenge and fight the Dark Wizard who setith the sea against the storm? Wilt she seeketh the Lair of the great nesting ones and set their pain upon the path to justice? Or wilt she seeketh her ally and release it from its prison set by evil? What wilt the Keeper ask of us? _

_Pray for wisdom in what thee seeketh as we claim thy caution, Keeper-Sithmaith. Truth is the illumination within the darkness of one's soul, and hath the power to displace all thou art or ever hopeth to be. I knoweth in my bones you wilt come to us soon…."_

The great ape opened his eyes to see the smoldering ruminants of what was once a beautiful forest surrounding him. The trees where toppled and black, the grasses gone, and the rocks sizzled in the rain now falling gently upon them. For as far as his old eyes could see there was only darkness and the smoking carcasses of animals now lifeless and blind to the hoard to which they once belonged.

"…_and put this evil to right."_

TWO

In another forest, two eyes peered out from the darkness hiding a spy, and the beast growled when it could hear them coming. Three thieves were on their way once more, and the spy watching them snarled under its breath and at the thought of their greed. This time they would not reach their destination; she would see to it, she would. The creature would see them die for their insolence before allowing them any closer to their objective, to see them feeding on their human ambitions. No… not this time.

The beast was angry and somewhat surprised. Surprised by the fact the three wizards now coming her way were so careless, so unaware, and so indifferent to the place in which they were trespassing. Her great horns slashed angrily at the branches hiding her as she watched them enter the clearing. She crouched low and finally smiled. It was a rare thing to know vengeance was so ready to sink its fangs into the meaty flesh of justice. The beast watched them carefully as they left the safety of the trees. Yes… vengeance was her eager collaborator. The beast raised a cupped hand to her mouth and called out to the sky above them.

"Howhooooooowaaaa…" she bellowed loudly, before ducking away to hide herself again.

The leader of the group stopped his two companions with a halting sign and the others immediately pulled out their wands. They were staring at the place where they thought the howl had come, in the forest straight ahead of them. Three seconds later and a quarter mile to the wizard's left the beast bellowed again.

"Howhooooooowaaaa!"

The leader pulled his wand as the group turned to look left. It was obvious they didn't like this loud noise, now drawing unwanted attention to their presence in the clearing. Five seconds later, they heard another howl, this time it was behind them. Of course, they couldn't know it was the same beast moving with magical speed another quarter mile to bellow at their rear. The men turned again when something huge and invisibly fast rushed forward to hit one of the men with the broad side of its horns and sent him flying thirty feet through the air. He crashed in the open field and rolled end over end until he came to a stop in the tall grass. His companions, astonished by the suddenness of the attack, sent several hexes after the blur of bending light now disappearing into the forest several hundred yards ahead of them. One of the hexes actually hit the beast, but it went unnoticed as she turned and vanished again.

"Howhooooooowaaaa!" she howled, and the two remaining men wiped their wands about to shoot their spells again. The third man was on his feet once more, shaking his head and staring disbelievingly at his now broken wand in his clinched fist. He yelled something to his fellows and began to run toward them. Waving frantically, he was pointing at the sky above them as the howl bellowed once more.

One of the wizards looked up. He screamed and ducked just as the other standing next to him looked around. The second man only saw a flash of cooper color before being snatched off his feet by two enormous, scaled claws. The man screamed in surprise and pain as he was tossed from one dragon into the jaws of a second flying in formation at its side. There were several red streaks of light shooting wildly over the field and the two remaining wizards watched in horror as parts of their friend's body began falling to the ground.

Another howl bellowed from the woods to their right again, and they looked up to see one of the two dragons turning to head back in response. The wizards started to run toward the closest part of the forest, barely making into the trees as the second Vipertooth swooped over the top of them. They peered out again to listen to their companion's fading screams in the distance toward the cliffs to the east. The men looked at each other, shook their heads sorrowfully, and then turned to go home. Their day was done.

As the sounds of the battle died away, the spy stepped out from her hiding place and headed for the spot in the field where several skunk-like tails could be seen converging. She followed the snarling sounds and arrived in time to see two of the horned, cat-like creatures running off with what remained of the wizard's arm. She looked down at the dent in the glass where the limb once lay and saw a smoking wand laying in a pool of flesh blood. The ogre snarled as she raised an enormous foot and, with a thunderous thud of finality, she crushed the wand to splinters under her heal.

She raised her weathered face to the heavens and allowed the sun a rare moment to warm her face. Vengeance was smiling with her.

THREE

Several sightings have been reported both in Reginald Carter's home town of Larney Massachusetts and in the Yukon Territory of Canada last week. The escaped murderer from Drogo prison continues to elude the Ministry Authority and the Minister of Magic has stepped up her office's efforts to catch the man who until now has remained nearly invisible to all.

"I personally cannot give a lot of credence to these sightings," said Minister Barkelnap from her Washington office. "The Authority is quite certain Mr. Carter is still hiding somewhere near or around Drogo's secret location."

Asked why the Ministry still had not recaptured Mr. Carter if they are so sure of his whereabouts, the Minister would not explain.

Mrs. Porchdow looked up from the newspaper and watched Anna drop another piece of driftwood into a garbage can outside her tool shed.

"Nope — that's not it either," Anna said confidently. She sounded frustrated. "It doesn't look like any of this stuff has the tiniest bit of resident magic.

"I told you I didn't think these things mattered," Mrs. Porchdow reminded her. "How about that odd looking rock by the rake? Did you see that? I thought that one looked somewhat interesting."

Anna looked around at the stone sitting under the bench. Somehow she knew even before she picked it up it was useless to them.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Anna said, pointing her wand at the stone. She guided it over to the bin and dropped inside with a loud clatter.

Mrs. Porchdow sighed as she looked around them. "Well, you've been through most of it now. What do you think?"

Anna sat down next to her. "It's about as useful as the Minister of Magic is at finding that maniac Carter," she said, thumping an angry finger at the newspaper the woman was holding.

"I beg your pardon?" complained the Minister's photograph with a frown.

Mrs. Porchdow sneered as she looked down to point at the photo. "Too close to the dark arts, that one," she muttered.

Anna was surprised. "What do you say?"

Mrs. Porchdow's glower immediately faded as her expression lifted. "I'm sorry. That was rude; I shouldn't have said that."

Anna turned to face her squarely. "The Minister uses the dark arts?"

"Really, child, it's not my place to say such things about your family. I was out of line, truly. I'm sorry."

Anna stared at her for the longest time before replying. "Listen, I've only ever told daddy about this, but when we went to visit the Minster of Magic in her officer last summer… she threatened me."

Mrs. Porchdow jerked back. "Threatened you? In what way did she threaten you?"

Anna told her about her argument with the Minister concerning Voldemort's possible return, Helen Barkelnap's angry response, and then her plan to monitor all of the Guardians. When she told her the Minister had threatened her father's position in the Ministry if he was caught supporting Dumbledore or Thordarson, Mrs. Porchdow was incensed.

"Helen Meliflua said that?"

Anna nodded. "So… as you can see, my problems with the Minister of Magic go far beyond anything you might have to say. There's no love lost there — trust me. Tell me what you meant when you said she was too close to the dark arts."

The woman leaned back to think and then nodded. "All right, but again… I didn't mean to say Helen was a practitioner the dark arts; I was mainly referring to her family. I don't believe the Minister herself would have anything to do with _You-Know-Who_ or his Death Eaters. No… the Minister has proven herself completely devoid of compassion for the Dark Lord and his followers."

Anna agreed. It was obvious her father's grounds keeper knew her Aunt well enough to come to the same conclusion. Although Mrs. Porchdow didn't know her mother was still alive and roaming the earth as a vampire, it was clear when Anna was in the Minister's office: Her aunt hated Voldemort for what he had done to Victoria Grayson.

Mrs. Porchdow looked at Anna again. "But there were rumors, long ago, about the Meliflua family agreeing with most of the anti-Muggle laws being pressed for passage within the Ministry. The Minister's sister-in-law, Araminta Meliflua, even tried to get the Ministry of Magic to pass a law that would make Muggle-hunting legal."

Anna looked appalled.

"Yes… and Araminta's husband, your great uncle Allison Meliflua, was a right-old Muggle bigot himself. He was Helen and Mary's older brother. But the worst one of all was Helen's father, Wictred Meliflua. Now there was a real peach of a man. It was said he arranged for his son and Araminta to be married because he loved her stand on the immanent domain over Muggle lands. Not that Allison minded, of course; two peas in a pod, him and that wife of his. Did you know Allison was sent to Azkaban for supporting _You-Know-Who_?"

"What? You're kidding!" Anna shot back. "One of my uncles was sent to Azkaban?"

Mrs. Porchdow smirked. "Yeah… he was caught passing information about Ministry half-bloods on to his Death-Eater buddies. After three years in Azkaban, he was shipped off to Drogo Prison because the Dementors drove him insane. He died a short time after that. His father Wictred disappeared a few days after Allison died, and was never heard from again. It was rumored that he was killed by _You-Know-Who_, but I doubt that. I heard him praising the Dark Lord's name far too many times to believe they would have actually killed him. Nobody really knows what ever happened to him.

Anna was both astonished and disgusted, but longed for more.

"And what about my grandmother, Mary Jennings? I know she was Helawena's older sister."

Mrs. Porchdow nodded. "Mary Meliflua was all right, far as I know. After her brother died and her father disappeared, Mary took control of the family estate on Grayson Hill after she married Edgar Jennings. Helen was too busy with her career at the Ministry to really care about the property, so everybody seemed happy again. Still, every time Helen's name came up for a Ministry promotion, the local newspapers around here never failed to mention her family's support for _You-Know-Who_. How much Helen agreed with her father's rubbish is only speculative." The woman looked down at the newspaper again. "I'm not ashamed to say it… but I never really liked the woman."

"I can understand why," Anna huffed irritably.

Mrs. Porchdow looked at her and shook her head. "As far as I know, Mary Jennings never had anything good to say about _You-Know-Who_. In fact, she was the one who always said she suspected the Dark Lord was behind her father's disappearance. I always thought Mary was a kind and gentle woman. I know she loved Helen very much, and perhaps that's the best proof we have that Helen never had any love for the dark arts.

The two sat quietly in the shed until Anna used her wand to drop the rest of the collection into the bin.

"Well… that's the last of it. I'd like to visit the voices in the chapel again, but I suppose we won't be allowed in there until Christmas Eve. I'm hoping they can tell us more about what we're looking for out here."

A shrill above made them look up and Anna could see a large bird growing bigger as it circled down. Finally, a beautiful horned owl silently flapped down upon the top of the shed's door. It ruffled its wet plumage and clicked its beak as he surveyed the unknown landscape around them. Anna smiled as she stood to untie the scroll attached to his ankle.

"Yes," she said to the owl knowingly, "the hunting here is very good. Did you have a long trip?" The owl hooted majestically and ruffled his feathers again as Anna removed the scroll. She recognized the handwriting immediately.

"Oh, it's from Hogwarts, from Professor McGonagall," Anna said unthinkingly.

"Minerva McGonagall?" replied a surprised Mrs. Porchdow.

Anna looked at her. "Yes… do you know her?"

The woman frowned suspiciously. "Yes… we've met a few times. Why is she writing to you?"

Anna hesitated. "Ah… well, daddy has arranged our correspondence to discuss… some of this Guardian stuff."

Anna could tell the woman was suspicious of her explanation, but she also knew Professor McGonagall wouldn't be happy if she told anybody else about the Lethifold."

Fortunately, another owl landed beside the first and squawked loudly enough to distract their conversation.

"Hobbs?"

Anna's owl leapt onto her forearm with a sharp screech. He immediately lifted a saluting foot, which had a small scroll clutched in his fisted talon. He placed the scroll into Anna's hand before twisting his head around to glare reproachfully up at the horned owl above them.

"A quick trip down from the house?" chuckled Mrs. Porchdow.

"It's from daddy; he wants to see me in his office right away." She kissed Hobbs on the nose. "Thank you, Hobbs. Can you show our guest to the owlry for me?" Hobbs looked surprised and then disdainfully up at the other bird again. He screeched and then clutched Anna's arm tight to take off.

"Ouch!" The horned owl raised his massive wings and flapped off after Hobbs. Anna rubbed her arm. "That owl of mine hates it when another owl delivers a letter to me." She looked back at a smiling Mrs. Porchdow. "Well, I'd better get back to the house and see what's going on. We'll continue the search later." She kissed the woman on the cheek and headed up Grayson hill.

Along the way, Anna read Professor McGonagall's letter aloud. It was dated the twentieth of December.

"_Miss Grayson, I was quite concerned by your last owl to me recounting your being transfigured into a rat by one of the crimson lieutenants of Castlewood. Apart from the fact this punishment was long since been banned here at Hogwarts, and in most other Wizarding schools, I am most troubled about your part leading up to this confrontation and your subsequent reactions in response. _

"MY PART?" Anna yelped reproachfully.

"_Reversing a transfiguration hex without the use of a wand is very difficult magic, even for the most talented of witches and wizards. You should strive to be more diligent in not parading your gifts so freely to those around you. I beg you heed my warnings on this subject. _

"Parading my gifts?" Anna bellowed again in anger. "What does she think, that Iwanted to remain a half drown rat to Captain Dunning's amusement?" She read on.

"_That being said, your descriptions of these events seem to confirm my initial view — that your given skills far exceed those of most Animagi. I dare not elaborate here, because our owls could be…" _Anna continued scanning the beautifully scrolled writing that did nothing to hide its harsh message,_ "__ you must try harder to control yourself while in public, and especially since You-Know-Who's return. His followers are everywhere, watching…" _Anna finished reading the text and then angrily crumpled the scroll into a ball.

"Deputy Head Mistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," shebreathed scathingly. "I don't believe it. She thinks what happened was my fault. Why do I bother writing to this woman?"

FOUR

Twenty minutes later Anna stepped into her father's Ministry office.

"Hello, daddy, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Come in and have a seat."

Anna looked around and was surprised to see John Dell and Ines Valeria, standing in the room along with her brother Eric.

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" she said, happily. Anna walked over quickly to hug Ines and accepted an enormous pat on the back by John Dell.

"Have a seat Anna and I'll explain everything."

Anna surveyed them all curiously before walking over to the chair opposite her father's desk.

"Anna… John and Ines have agreed to return with you to Castlewood after Christmas. John will be working closely with Captain Hayman on your personal security in and outside the castle and Ines will be doing some research on each member of the Order of Merlin."

Anna frowned. She was so surprised by her father's statement that she stopped in the middle of sitting down. She looked over at Ines. "I don't understand, daddy. Why are you researching the Guardians?"

"It isn't going to be enough to protect just you going forward, Anna. What happened to Sarah Bell was an atrocity that shouldn't be allowed to repeat itself. While Hayman understands his duties well, I've made these arrangements with the Captain's permission to enhance the security for all the Guardians. John will be working with Hayman and using Ines's research to improve their protection."

"But Trog already protects me." She looked over at John Dell and tried to smile. "No offense, JD, but Trog is even more formidable than you."

"John is not going back to Spellsburg to replace Trog. The ogre will continue to act as your personal bodyguard outside the castle and on the plateau. John can oversee the security of all the Guardians and utilize Ines's research to help them with any problems away from the school. Eric will be coordinating their efforts and communicating with me, and I have personally put our family treasury to their expenses." Mister Grayson's expression darkened. "Whatever it takes, Anna. We are going to warrant the Guardians' safety at all times going forward."

Anna looked back at Ines suspiciously. "If it were anybody else but another Guardian looking into the background of the people living in our Hall…"

Ines smiled. "Don't worry… it'll be subtle. They won't even know what I'm doing unless I find something that puts them or their family at risk."

Anna finally smiled before looking back at her father. "Thank you, daddy."

Mister Grayson stood. "Excellent. Well then, I think we should let our guests return to their families and holiday." He came around desk to shake John Dell and Ines's hand.

"Thank you both for helping our family in this. I cannot tell you what it means to me personally to have your advantage."

John Dell smiled. "I was starting to miss Spellsburg anyway. It'll be nice to go back."

Ines agreed. "I will be returning to Spellsburg the second week of January, sir, after I've made that stop in Texas you suggested to meet with Tanya Joe's family."

Mister Grayson smiled. "I already spoke to Mr. Wangstaff personally to set your appointment." He looked at Anna and grinned. "I think you'll find him a rather… ummm… colorful man."

Anna smiled back at him. If Mr. Wangstaff was anything like TJ, she thought Ines would have a lot to share when she returned to Castlewood.

As Mister Grayson escorted John and Ines back into his conference room and to one of the many large fireplaces, they found Greechins waiting for them with their hats and cloaks.

"A good day to you, sir," the goblin growled before tossing a pinch of Floo Power into the already crackling flames. Emerald green fire blazed high as John dipped low to enter.

"Hovel-Hollow, Ontario."

There was a rocket of brightened flame as John Dell began to slowly spin faster and faster before disappearing completely.

Greechins threw in another pinch of power into the flames, which burned bright green again. "Madam?" the goblin said courteously, motion Ines into the flames.

"Thank you, Greechins," the woman replied, taking her cloak from him.

"Daddy?" Anna said, tugging at her father's arm. She looked concerned.

"What is it sweetheart?"

Anna thought for a moment and then, "There's a new first year Guardian at the school. Her name is Nox… I mean… Unity Yolland. Apparently, she's the only remaining witch in her hometown."

Her father frowned. "She's Muggle born then?"

"Well, yes… but that's not the problem. She lives in a town full of squibs. She calls it… a _scrub_ _village_?

"What?" Eric replied in surprise. "Are you sure that's what she said, Anna?" His sister nodded and Eric looked at their father. "I've heard of such places before, but I didn't think they still existed."

"Nor did I," Mister Grayson replied.

"Nox is upset because she knows if she ever leaves her town after she graduates from Castlewood, the Ministry will wipe away everybody's memory of the Wizarding world."

"They're still doing that?" Eric blurted out. "Why that's… that's barbaric."

Mister Grayson looked down and shook his head. "I… had no idea." He looked up again quickly, his resolve hardening. "I'll check with the Ministry to confirm this practice is still in effect, but I'll have to be careful. I don't want to bring it to the Minister's attention that one of the Guardians is from a village of squibs. I am sure that would work to this girl's worst fears." He looked at Ines meaningfully and the Guardian smiled.

"I'll check into the girl's story to confirm its validity before my trip to Texas. I'll let you know what I find."

Mister Grayson nodded as Ines stepped into the flames under the marble mantel and called out, "Colina de Ánima, México!" The flames whooshed again and through the echoing wind they could hear the woman wish them all, "Merry Christmas!"

FIVE

Anna smiled. "Well… I was having a very nice visit with Mrs. Porchdow down at the garden house, so I'm heading back down." She turned to leave.

"Before you go, Anna, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about." He motioned to the chair on the other side of his desk. "Have a seat."

Anna frowned and then looked over to Eric suspiciously. "Am I in trouble again?"

"Guilty conscious?" Eric asked her.

Her father slowly lowered himself into his own chair as he looked at his son. "A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory."

Eric smiled back. "Mark Twain."

Anna shook her head at her brother. "How do you keep all of that stuff in that big brain of yours?"

Eric shrugged. "Biology gives you a brain. Life turns it into a mind."

His father laughed. "Jeffrey Eugenides."

Anna looked at her father and sighed. "Obviously… he gets it from his daddy." She stared at him and then, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Anna immediately noticed her father started to look nervous, which made her think perhaps she was in some kind of trouble.

"Anna… I wanted to make sure that we're clear here on what you should do if there ever came a time…" he hesitated and Anna frowned.

"Yes, daddy? If ever there came a time… for what?"

"If you were to see your mother again."

Anna was surprised. She frowned as if her father was suddenly speaking in some foreign language she didn't understand. She stared at him until it became clear we wouldn't say anything more to elaborate. She thought about the creature her mother had become, the thing that had attacked her in Drogo. Then she remembered the woman sobbing in the corner of her dungeon cell and telling her the story about how Voldemort had tortured her. Anna peered up into her father's eyes and suddenly felt that same spark of anger she had felt when her father tried to explain why he hadn't told her that Victoria Grayson was still alive.

"She's still… my mother," Anna slowly growled.

"Annnnnaaa…" Eric moaned behind her, "… you still can't believe that, and it doesn't help to think…"

Mister Grayson immediately raised a hand to stop his son, but he never took his eyes off of his daughter. He could see her anger blooming forth in her eyes as they turned black. Eric instantly fell silent.

"Anna… we're not going to have this argument again, sweetheart. I've heard what you've had to say and you've heard me, so resuming the same old debates would be futile. All I'm asking is that if there should come a time where your mother reveals herself to you again…" he slowly stood and leaned over his desk at her, "don't assume anything and always think to protect yourself first. Make your first response one of defense." Anna was still staring at him, but he could see the color returning to her eyes once more.

"I'm not asking you to attack her, or to assume she'll always be looking to harm you… but I'm warning you not to embrace her either. You should be ready to defend yourself always." He tilted his head to the side in the manner she had come to understand meant he was seeking her accord. "I want you to practice this response in your mind each and every night before you go to bed, Anna. I want you to think about your mother and then imagine your first and necessary defensive reply. If Victoria wants to talk to you, then talk, but make sure to keep your wand in your hand."

Her father came around the desk and then lowered himself to stare into her eyes directly. "Please, Anna, promise me that you will do this for me." His daughter look into his caring eyes… and her heart pushed whatever anger she was feeling aside. She nodded.

Mister Grayson smiled and then leaned in to hug her. "Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for doing this for me."

Anna hugged him back and then stood. "Can I go now?" she said simply.

Her father was looking for an expression that might reveal her feelings, but Anna's face remained detached. "Of course; please give my love to Mrs. Porchdow."

Anna turned and then left the room and as she closed the door behind her, she leaned back against the wood to think. How would she respond if her mother were to suddenly appear in front of her? She thought about it and then decided it would depend if the woman was her mother or Voldemort's servant. But how could she possibly tell in the first few seconds? She looked to her right and then up into the portrait of Leola Grayson standing next to a lit fireplace and she remembered thinking how the woman's presence radiated a sense of dislike toward her. Anna frowned as she looked at the portrait again. How could she have ever seen that in her when she couldn't see it now? She was wrong about her Ally and what's more, she now understood that Leola Grayson was a wonderful and loving woman to her children and her friends… she looked up into the portrait again… and a good wife to her husband.

She heard Eric's voice through the door. "Do you really think she heard you, father?"

There was a delay as Anna waited to hear her father's response. "I pray she does, son, and I hope she understands that I'm trying to keep her safe."

Anna began walking down the long corridor toward the staircase at the other end. She heard a giggle from one of the portraits to her left and looked up to see Senseless Sarasil Grayson enjoying another private joke. He finally stopped his giggling to look down at her. His smile dropped and an uncharacteristic look of seriousness fell upon him.

"Your father loves you very much, you know."

Anna stopped, surprised by the man's sudden lucidity.

"I know that," Anna whispered back.

Sarasil stared down at her. "Do you?" He leaned down at her in the painting. "But do you know how to kill a vegetarian vampire?"

Anna's eyes widened.

"Hee, hee, hee," the odd-looking man snickered, "With a steak to the heart."

"That's not funny," Anna fumed.

Sarasil's face fell. "Sure it is. That one's gold… why wouldn't you think so."

Anna stepped up to him. "Because I think it's offensive to make jokes about something so personal."

The man frowned. "Really… why would you assume it was personal? I was just making a funny."

Anna turned away and continued down the hallway. "I don't think so."

"Hey Anna…" the man called out again. "Why can't you ever see a hippopotamus hiding in the woods?"

"I don't care…" she said, not bothering to look back.

"Because they're really good at it!"

The man snickered again and Anna stopped. She thought for a moment and then returned to the portrait.

"You know, Uncle Sarasil… I don't think you're as crazy as everybody around here thinks."

The man in the portrait suddenly looked hurt. "Really?"

Anna stepped in closer and whispered, "Yeah… really."

"But if you want to catch a squirrel… just climb a tree and act like a nut," the man replied jokingly.

Anna smiled back. "And a lot smarter too."

Sarasil tilted his head sideways ridiculously. "You know… if you're not going to listen to good advice… then try learning sign language."

"Sign language?"

"Yeah… it's very… _handy_!" The man laughed again.

"I do hear what my father is trying to say. I really do!" Anna shot back.

The man in the portrait straightened. "What's the difference between ignorance and apathy?" He paused and then, "I don't know and I don't care! Hee, hee, hee…"

"I care about what my father says!" Anna retorted.

Sarasil's head almost flew out of his portrait as he came down at her. "THEN LISTEN TO HIM YOU IGNORANT LITTLE GIT!"

Anna stumbled backward and fell to the floor. Her head jerked up again and found the man in the portrait frozen in his upright and normal pose. She got up and sneered up at him but he didn't move. She thought for a moment and then looked up again.

"It just so happens… that I think my father is right," she said matter-of-factly. The portrait didn't respond. Anna huffed loudly and then turned toward the staircase once again. She took the first step and heard Uncle Sarasil again.

"You know… elves and goblins have very little in common." He snickered again and Anna tried not to laugh out loud.

"I think dry erase boards are remarkable. Don't you?"

Anna covered her mouth and ran up the stairs.

242


	22. Chapter 20 - A Plea for Help

Chapter 20D06

Chapter 20 (Draft 06)

A Plea for Help

ONE

Eric was smiling for the first time in days. He was galloping along the cliffs of Grayson Hill on his father's black stallion Catahecassa. The breeze rising up the cliff wall was warm and salty from the ocean swept rocks below, but his expression fell as he slid to a stop and then stepped down to the grass near the rocky brink. He dropped the reins as he slowly and then, very carefully, approached the cliff. Eric looked over the edge and shuddered.

_This was the place… the very spot,_ he thought nervously. _Why does it affect me this way? _He felt his stomach twist as his focus zoomed downward… and it was as if his body was suddenly falling. He abruptly jerked back. _It's always the same here and I don't know why._

Eric had never been afraid of heights. If that were true, Doctor Pearl would never have allowed him to fly on any Vollucross steed. He watched the sea smashing into the rocks at the bottom again. There was no other place in the world that made him feel light headed just to look down. The wind howled and moaned in the most frightening way, the perfect simulation of heart wrenching grief he had ever heard. He carefully sat down and looked out to the sea, seeking his courage once again.

For him, the spot on which Eric sat was the most terrifying place in the entire world, but he didn't understand why. The place was beautiful, in a word… stunning; a scenic illustration of God's creative splendor, undisturbed and unappreciated by man. Eric slowly dropped his legs over the edge and looked down between his knees once more. He could swear he was hearing it again… a woman screaming as she fell to her death upon the jagged, ocean-swept rocks below. He jerked back again. _It's just the wind; just my imagination; it isn't real._

He looked back at his father's horse calmly grazing on the moist grass."What is it about this place, Cat — I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

It had always been this way for as long as he could remember; the one spot where his courage always failed him. He looked out to the sea again and breathed deep, looking to regain nerve once more. For Eric, visiting this spot was like training for greater boldness and gathering his strength for what he knew would test him in the coming months. He didn't know what lay ahead for him and his family, but he thought he knew one truth for sure: courage would be mandatory if survival was to be insured. In response, he knew of no other place where he could go to strengthen his courage and flex the muscles of his mettle. In this spot, overlooking the ocean on the precipice of doom and the black jagged rocks below him, the wind wailed in a way that made his spine quiver. He tried looking down again and felt shaken. The wind howled and the woman screamed through his mind once more. It was always so real to him.

He closed his eyes and tried to bring forth another memory, another challenge that recently visited him, that might brace his resolve there on that spot of doom. He remembered knocking on a heavy, black door.

"Come in."

Eric opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Mayor Prower? Hello, sir. Eric Grayson here."

The Mayor of Spellsburg looked up from his very large desk and smiled.

"Eric, my boy. Come in, come in. It's always good to welcome another Grayson through my door."

Eric smiled as he entered the Mayor's office.

"Have a seat, son. Can I get you a sherry?" he asked him kindly, as he stood and came around the desk to pour himself a small glass.

"Uh… no, sir. Thank you." Eric replied as he sat himself.

Eric thought the mayor looked somewhat distracted as he finished pouring and then replaced the stopper.

"I always enjoy a little splash before dinner," he said, returning to his desk. "I'm glad you decided to visit with me, Eric. I've been meaning to reach out to you so that we might talk."

"Sir?"

"Yes." The man groaned as he sat and then took a sip of wine from his glass. "I wanted to speak to you about all this Guardian business."

"Really? As it turns out that's why I'm come to see you as well, Mr. Mayor."

"I expect you would." The man leaned back. "I wanted you to know that I don't blame you personally for getting in with that crowd."

Eric frowned. "Sir?"

"I know you were just showing a brother's support for your sister and can't be held directly responsible for being forced to move from the Server Union and in with that Guardian mob."

"Guardian mob?" Eric stammered. He leaned forward. "Sir, I in no way regret my becoming a Guardian."

The mayor smiled. "I know you have to say that, Eric, but I also know you to be a very level-headed young man with great potential." He set his wine down and folded his hands across his rather large belly under his robes. "In fact I was thinking about offering you a job."

"A job, sir? I don't understand. As you know, I am currently studying to be a beast and creature healer and part of my curriculum requires my spending some time teaching. Professor Bots has been kind enough to take me on as his assistant. I feel very fortunate to be in the position."

"You may not feel that way for long, my boy, so you should be thinking about your future as well."

"I… don't understand."

Ulric studied him for a time and then, "Eric, you are a gifted young man. Smart, a hard worker and a shrewd thinker, quick on your feet; I like that. And being that your father is a Director, I know you've been following the changes within the Ministry of Magic as well. It doesn't take more than an average wizard to see the writing on the wall."

Eric frowned again.

"It would behoove you to distance yourself from Chancellor Thordarson with all deliberate haste."

"Distance myself? For what possible reason would I do such a thing?"

"Thordarson is quickly falling out of favor with the Minister of Magic because of his support of Albus Dumbledore and the Headmaster's fanatical ranting about _You-Know-Who's_ return." The mayor sighed. "I would never have thought it possible to see such a great man lose his mind in so short a time, but you never can tell how fast a man's health will begin to fail him."

Eric was suddenly incensed. "Dumbledore isn't losing his mind, sir, and deep down… I think you know that. Surely, it must have come into your own brilliant mind… that he might be right."

The mayor was surprised and then laughed. "Oh please, Eric, the dead coming back to life? Really… what rubbish am I hearing from you now? I now see the Minister's point when she talks about the falling educational standards within the castle. How can a man of your talent and level-headedness truly believe such a thing?"

"Because I don't believe _He__**-**_**_Who_**_**-**_**_Must_**_**-**_**_Not_**_**-**__Be-_**_Named_**ever really died."

"Oh now — come, come, Eric. Where would _he_ have been all this time, ay? Are we to believe he just suddenly decided to take a holiday for more than a decade? Even Dumbledore said _He__**-**_**_Who_**_**-**_**_Must_**_**-**_**_Not_**_**-**__Be-_**_Named _****was gone."**

**"****Gone — but not dead; Dumbledore never said he was dead. His body was never found."**

**The mayor smiled and waved the point off. "Just a play on words to explain a failing mind, my boy, that's all."**

Eric thought for a moment and then asked, "Mr. Mayor, why do you think the Guardians have returned? Surely you know enough about wizard history to understand why the Guardians of old came into existence."

"The Guardians of old have nothing to do with that gang of purple idiots up at the castle today," Ulric replied matter-of-factly. He studied Eric and then smiled. "Wait a minute… are you telling me you actually believe _You-Know-Who_ has returned?"

Eric fell back in his seat, his temper flaring. "Yes… I do, sir."

Ulric's stare darkened. He rose from his chair and then slowly walked over the gaze out of his office window. Tipping back and forth on his heels, he seemed deep in troubled thought when he finally asked, "Eric… do you like me?"

"Like you, sir?"

He turned to stare back at him. "Yes… it's a simple question. Do you like me?"

Eric settled himself. "Yes, sir. In fact, I would say I like you a lot."

"Would you say that I am a decent leader of this community, a good mayor to the citizens of Spellsburg?"

"Yes, sir."

The man smiled. "I'd like to offer you a job in my cabinet and help me with my reelection campaign next year."

"You… want… me… to help you with your campaign? But… why me?"

The mayor smiled again. "I like you, son. You're smart, you come from an excellent family, and I feel I should be helping you through this difficult time."

"I still don't understand."

"I'm referring to this business with your sister and the two murders in the city. It doesn't bode well for the Guardians, but it doesn't mean it should affect you in any negative way."

"Anna had nothing to do with those crimes!"

"Of course – I'm sure that's true, son. But as you know…" he paused to look out the window again, "the public is allowed to believe what it wants… and in my experience even when they're wrong the repercussions to those in which rumors exist can be dreadful."

He looked at Eric again. "Son, I'm trying to help you. You must distance yourself from Thordarson and the Guardians. If my offer here in the city doesn't fit with your ambitions, then I would suggest you return home to California. Put some distance between yourself and this Guardian rabble."

Eric finally stood. "Mr. Mayor, I would never abandon my sister and leave her to face any hint of scandal regarding these crimes. If you respect my character, sir, how could you ever think I would do such a thing?"

Ulric tried to smile. "I didn't expect you would, but that's why I think you should come to work for me. It would allow me to council you on this Guardian business and keep you clear of it."

Eric turned away, trying to the best of his ability to hold his anger in check. He finally took a deep breath. "Mr. Mayor… I came here today…"

"I know why you've come here, Eric. You came here to speak to me about the way the Guardians were treated when they created that disturbance at the museum last week."

Eric was surprised, but happy he didn't have to explain his visit. "Yes, sir. The students were only there to protest the way in which some of the magical objects on display were being used to demonstrate their capabilities. The Guardians believe it inappropriate to…"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE GUARDIANS BELIEVE!" the mayor hollered out. He seemed to catch himself and then began to nervously adjust his robes after the outburst. He finally looked back to Eric again and forced himself to smile.

"Son… I am the mayor of this city and I cannot allow a few mindless brats to disrupt a public place where our citizens are gathered peacefully. It's unacceptable."

"But sir, the response from the museum guards was an outrage. They didn't need to treat them so harshly and they certainly didn't have to arrest them. It was almost as if they were given…" Eric hesitated, "previous orders to act way they did to make an example out of them."

Ulric smiled again. "There… you see? That's the kind of thing I would warn you to stay clear of if you worked in my office. It won't do to have you come in here and defend lawbreakers, Eric. It's far beneath you… it just won't do."

Eric dipped his head and sighed. "It's a very generous offer, sir, but I'm afraid you wouldn't like me working with your staff." He looked at the mayor directly. "I wouldn't be able to remain silent about this kind of thing."

Ulric Prower tipped back and sighed. "As you wish, my boy… as you wish. I just want you to remember one thing: I agreed to see you today so that I could reach out to you as a friend and a willing mentor. I expect things will get much tougher for Thordarson and the Guardians up at the castle in the weeks ahead. If you have any influence on the Guardians at all… I would suggest you use it to keep them clear of any further trouble of the sort displayed at the museum. That kind of behavior will not be tolerated. I will expel them from the city if that's what it takes to keep them in line."

Eric dipped his head and tried to exhibit a tone of appreciation. "Thank you, sir, for your council and warnings. I'll make sure they get the message." He looked at the door. "I have a class starting in about an hour, so I must leave you now." He stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "And I thank you for your time."

Ulric looked down at Eric's hand and then slowly raised his own to shake it. "Make your warnings to the Guardians clear, son. They need to understand this office will not tolerate any more disturbances."

Eric opened his eyes and stared out at the ocean again, his anger still ranging. He looked down the cliff wall between his knees and when he heard the screams again and his mind began to spin, he used his anger to harden his focus. The screams subsided as the ocean below him cleared. He looked up at the blue sky above him and took a deep, cleansing breath. His exercise in courage completed, Eric slowly stood and walked back to his mount.

He was about to put his foot into the stirrup when he thought he heard another scream. He frowned and strained to listen, turning his ear back to the cliff's edge once more. While he had convinced himself the shrieks were nothing more than the howling wind, this time what he heard seemed much closer. He heard the scream again, weaker this time, but… _yes… it was surely there_. He walked back to the cliff but didn't look down. The fading sound was closer to his feet than the rocks below. He squatted down and closed his eyes to listen hard. It sounded like a drowning woman returning to the surface of his mind for one last chance at life.

He straightened to look around and then to a tangle of protruding roots of a tree anchored for centuries in the cliff's edge. One of the roots looked odd and strangely out of place. He walked over and stooped down and then lifted a very old and gnarled piece of wood from out of the roots. It was a wand.

TWO

A half a mile away, Anna was visiting the site of her mother's ancestral home.

"So how does it look?" her father asked her.

Anna was amazed that so much had been accomplished in so little time. The entire wooden frame of the vast Meliflua mansion was already built and pallets of stone for the exterior were stacked around the foundation and grading. Steel beams could be seen crossing left and right atop the brick foundation at the bottom. Huge rafters, soon to be magically lifted into the roof, lay to the side next the forest. Odd looking devices used for lifting sat quiet among the steel gantry, and stacks of bricks were loaded upon towering scaffolds surrounding the estate. Large timbers framed the front and beautiful, white colonnades sat to the side waiting to replace them

Anna looked at her father with tears in her eyes and walked over to hug him around his waist.

Her father smiled and hugged her back. "I take it you're pleased?"

Anna sniffed, looked at him, and then back to the site again. "It's absolutely beautiful, daddy." Then she noticed dozens of large windows neatly boxed under a tarp behind them. She frowned and looked up at her him again.

"It's a little early to be thinking about putting in the windows, don't you think?" she said, thinking about the construction schedule they had discussed over the summer.

Her father looked back at the stack of windows and then reached out to put an arm around her. "Anna, I've wanted to talk to you about something important and I think now is a good time to do so."

Anna could hear the serious tone in his voice as they turned to walk along the graded path surrounding the construction site.

"Sweetheart, it's about these murders in Spellsburg." He looked at her and could immediately see the pain in her face. "You should know that your brother Eric and several of our closest family friends who I've trusted with their council have suggested that I keep you home."

Anna stopped to stare up at him. "You mean… not go back to Castlewood?"

He turned to face her. "Yes, Anna. Does that surprise you?"

She thought about it. "Well… no, I guess I should have expected it, but I never thought it would happen. Does Chancellor Thordarson want me to stay home until they find the person responsible?"

He turned to continue walking again, his hands gripped tight behind his back. "No. He wants me to send you back to continue your studies."

"But you want me to stay home."

"What I want is to keep you safe. It's very obvious you've become a target of something terribly sinister. We don't understand who's behind this yet or why it's happening, so of course my first reaction is to protect you… and the best why in which to do that is to keep you here at home."

"But what about my classes? What about the Guardians?"

Her father kept walking, looking up into the trees surrounding them. "I realize your studies are important…" he looked down at her again, "for reasons you might not fully understand yourself right now, and that's why the Chancellor is arguing hard to get you back."

They turned together to the back of the mansion to continue along a dirt path.

"What would you have me do, Anna?"

She thought about Wendell's body in the straw of Swooper's cell, of Sarah lying in a hospital bed, and then Sidney and Eric staring up at her from her nightmares. She reached up to take her father's hand as they walked.

"I don't know, daddy. I'm afraid of what might happen next. But I do want to go back, even if it means I have to stay in the castle for the rest of the year."

He looked at her and smiled. "I knew that's what you would say." He kissed her hand. "You already know I've decided to send you back to Spellsburg, given the fact I've already put into place stronger assurances for your safety, but there are conditions."

"Conditions?"

"That's right and that's what I wanted to talk to you about this morning." He stopped again to look down at her. "We believe your mother has returned to Spellsburg."

Anna's eyes widened in surprise and then she gulped hard. "The cursed man was right then?"

"We cannot make any assumptions as to why she's returned, and that's a very important fact you must accept. While this man you spoke of has told you your mother is there to protect you, she might just as well have other motives. The Order of the Phoenix has come to the conclusion that she was sent to the plateau to make contact with you for a very specific purpose."

"Sent? Sent by whom?"

Her father's stare darkened. "By Voldemort, Anna. Victoria is still with him."

Anna fell back. "She is? So you believe the cursed man was lying to me."

"Yes, Anna, I do, and I'm not the only one. This stranger you described cannot be trusted, because we now know the information he's given to you was not true."

Anna found herself disbelieving what her father was telling her. She looked up at him again. "I don't understand, daddy. Why would my mother put herself at risk by going back to Spellsburg?"

"The Order of the Phoenix is telling us that Voldemort has taken an interest in the Guardians of Castlewood and in you particularly, because you were the first." He turned her again to continue their walk. "He also knows a lot more about you than you think. For example… he knows you broke into Drogo Prison and then into the dungeons to see your mother, that you made it out without being seen or captured by the Crimson Guards. He…" her father hesitated and then, "wants you to join him."

Anna stopped to glare up at her father and that's when the man finally saw it for the first time. As his daughter's wrath bloomed, he could see the whites of her eyes melting to black.

"Never!" Anna growled.

He could see her lips curling and a set of sharpened fangs beneath. The bones in her cheeks widened and the points of her ears were suddenly visible through her hair. Mister Grayson reached out to hug his daughter tight again.

"I know you would never join him, Anna." He could feel her rigged body soften within his embrace. "But how do I keep you safe from all of this?" He looked at her again.

"If his cursed man tries makes contact with you in any way again, you must report it. Do you understand?"

Anna looked up at her father and slowly nodded.

Mister Grayson hesitated and then said, "And… if your mother makes contact with you, you must get away from her and report it to Captain Hayman or to Thordarson immediately." He saw the hesitation in her posture and then his daughter's eyes refocus to look right through him as she thought. Her father would have none of it.

"Anna — this is not a suggestion or a request. If I am to send you back to Castlewood, you must promise me you'll report any such contact. Are we agreed?"

Anna's mind was caught between the images of her crying mother sitting on her chest and screaming back at the evil one within her, refusing to obey an order to kill her own daughter. And then she remembered the pain in her neck and the fangs sinking themselves into the flesh of her wrist. She remembered her brother lying dead in her dreams. Her attention returned to her father's worried face once more.

"Do you understand me? Are we agreed?"

She finally nodded. "Yes, father."

"Are you sure you can do this, Anna? I can't let you go back without your promise. I can't have you in danger while out of my sight. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I've put you in danger by…"

"I swear," she said, cutting across his fears, "by the Order of Merlin… if I see my mother or suspect she might be near, I will immediately look for help and report her presence." She could see his worried expression slowing turning. "Daddy… I swear it."

Her father finally smiled and then reached out to hug her again. "Thank you, sweetheart. I know you will never break your word to me, and I know how difficult this moment is for you, but your promise is dearer to me now than my own life. Thank you."

As her father held her, Anna's mind was exploding with the imagines of her mother and then again of the evil one within her. She prayed she would never think to break her promise to her father.

"I have to ask you something, daddy."

They pulled apart and it was Anna who turned to continue their walk.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

She took him by the hand again and lovingly put it to her cheek. He could see the changes he had witnessed in her face had disappeared.

"Do you believe my mother killed Sidney?"

Her father looked shaken.

"Do you think she was the one who cursed Sarah?"

The man frowned. He could see where Anna's mind was going and it immediately made him question his decision again to send her back to Castlewood. "I don't know, Anna. I hope not."

"Then who? We know that Michael Wendell and Sidney," she paused as a chill ran up her spine, "that their blood was missing. Who else…?"

"Anna, it would be foolish to make any assumption right now, because doing so might put you in greater danger. Do not assume anything. Yes, it could have been Victoria who did these terrible things and if Michael Wendell and Sarah were the only victims… I would lean to believe it more. But Sidney's death doesn't fit with the easiest answer given us. There's no doubt in my mind that you are being targeted, but we must keep an open mind to other possibilities.

Anna nodded in agreement as their walked ended where it had started. Mister Grayson looked at the stack of windows sitting in a pile on the forest's edge.

"I've moved up the schedule for finishing the building project," he said.

Anna looked at him and frowned. "But why, daddy? It isn't necessary to move so quickly, and you said yourself the project would take years if we didn't empty the family vault."

"Luckily, the investments I've put toward the project have done very well for us. With Sidney's help, I've been able to…" he stopped, the memory of their dead friend smothering his thoughts.

Gathering himself again, he said, "I want the place ready for you as soon as possible, Anna. Given the challenges before all of us… I wanted to make sure I keep my promise to you. From a financial standpoint, it makes no difference now when the project is completed."

Anna looked skeptical, but as she looked up at the massive framework of her mother's family home she couldn't help smiling. She hugged her father again.

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, pumpkin."

As they embraced, they stared together at the building and tried to imagine it completed, of something reborn from an old memory.

THREE

Anna was sitting in front of her mirror, enjoying the warm feelings of Christmas filling her heart, when she heard the chimes in the hallway begin to ring. The melody was lovely that evening, more so than any other on a cold winter's night and Anna smiled as she listened to the tiny voice from the clock begin to sing.

_Eleven o'the clock do ring,_

_While the choir in heaven sing,_

_Oh, with joy as the hour draw nigh,_

_One hour 'til the Savior's birth on high._

Anna could hear several footsteps outside her door. It was Christmas Eve and it was soon time for the Graysons to make their way down to the family chapel and the midnight celebration. She glanced down at the book near the lamp she had been reading and could almost feel her joy beginning to slip away, but it was saved by the quick knock.

"Come in."

The door opened and Eric stuck his head in. "You ready to go? Father is calling us downstairs."

Anna stood. "I just want to get a wrap… it must be cold outside."

Eric stepped into her bedroom and came forward as his sister disappeared into the closet.

"You'd better grab something a little heavier than a wrap," he said loudly, "it's near freezing tonight and it's a long walk through the woods to the chapel. Even Cookie is complaining about the cold."

He looked down and saw the book on Anna's table. _Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires_ by Eldred Worple. He picked it up when he saw a bookmark and found a sentence inside underlined.

'_While my time with the vampires was intellectually stimulating, I never came upon a moment where I could completely trust them. Although it might be true the various potions offered by the wizarding world is more than enough to keep their hunger at bay, I was struck by the feeling that, deep down, most of them did not wish to part from their inner cravings for human blood. In fact, I would surmise to say that each creature I met was but a gesture away from devouring me entirely.'_

Anna stepped back into the room in a full length coat and immediately stopped when she saw her brother reading from the book.

He looked up at her and tried to smile. "Interesting reading?"

Anna's expression fell as she came forward. "I found it so… yes."

Eric suddenly felt like a man intruding on his sister's privacy, so he tried to make up for it by passing along what he thought was pertinent information.

"You know… I met him once."

Anna was buttoning her coat. "Met who?"

"The author, Eldred Worple," he replied, showing Anna the picture on the back of the book.

"Really?"

"A couple of years ago; he came to the summer party here at the house. You met him."

Anna frowned, "Did I?"

"I'm sure you did. You know how father is always insistent on the value of formalities. If Worple was at the party, then I guarantee you were formally introduced." Anna still looked unsure. "Long greasy hair, a mustache, tapestry robes? A nice enough guy, I suppose, but a little full of himself in my opinion." He raised the book to show her again. "Did you pull this from the family library?" She nodded.

"I thought so. The author brought it with him that night as a gift. Here look." Eric opened the inside cover and showed her the author's autograph and the comment above it that read, 'To my good friend Boris Grayson - living with vampires is always a bloody business."

Anna's eyes widened as she looked up at her brother. "Does he know about my mother?"

Eric closed the book and set it back down. "He does, Anna."

"How?"

"After finding the book in the library a few months ago and seeing the personal message, I asked father about it. He told me Mr. Worple was with him that night after she had been attacked. He was there when she…" he hesitated, "when she died."

"Then he must have seen her go through the transformation."

Eric nodded. "He did…and in all likelihood… it was that experience that probably drew his interest to vampires in the first place."

"So… daddy is good friends with Mr. Worple?"

"No… not really. He was with our father that night in Albania just by happenstance. He was visiting the doctor that father asked to go with him to look for Victoria and Worple volunteered to come along."

Anna was amazed. Once again, the most trivial pieces of information given about her mother seemed vital, and she knew one day she would search for this Eldred Worple and speak to him about his experiences with vampires… and about her mother.

Suddenly, they could hear their father voice magically echoing throughout the entire house. "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

Eric smiled at Anna. "Norman Vincent Peale."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Original or not… why can't you just enjoy the thought?"

Eric raised a halting hand. "Wait for it…"

"But unless you're under three years old, chances are that you've been told… IT'S TIME TO GO!"

FOUR

"Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…"

"Amen," the crowd within the Grayson chapel replied.

"Merry Christmas, everyone, and I hope you have a happy and very prosperous new year," said the priest at the altar and then the choir began to sing Joy to the World.

The Grayson family celebrated Christmas mass together with many invited friends and all were awed by the happy work Mister Grayson had put into the celebration within the chapel. Once again, the master of the Grayson estate had worked to magically enhance the size and grandeur of the tiny stone space where they were all happily singing the joys of the holidays together. There were high vaulted ceilings and beautiful lights with strings of garland everywhere, and tiny fairies hid themselves among the fixtures and tapestries, adding a magical glow everywhere the eyes could see. There were candles and wreaths, and portraits from the house hanging among the tapestries. It was a joyous occasion. So much so that nobody seemed to mind Uncle Sarasil's rude attempt to inject his brand of humor into the music.

"Hark, the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn King."

"They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, to the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time…"

"Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."

"and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!"

Joyful, all ye nations rise, koin the triumph of the skies…"

"Ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa…"

They continued to sing with a merry heart, high and loud, off-key and melodiously, for who could know what the dawn of the new year would bring to the good citizens of the wizarding world.

Anna wasn't singing. Her eyes were closed tight as she tried with all her strength to concentrate on a different choir working to gather her attention within the chapel.

"_Sithmaith — tell us the state of the world?" _

"Hark, the Herald Angels sing, glory to the newborn King."

"With trees and flowers and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs…"

"_Your ally is very close to you now, Sithmaith… hear us!"_

"Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings…"

"…they'll put you in the ASPCA, you mangy mutt!"

"_We hear the ally's voice in the darkness calling for her release…"_

Anna frowned, her mind reaching out through the torrent of madness, _"Where is my ally? Where is the vessel that imprisons Leola Grayson?"_

"_She is close to you now, Sithmaith. Hear us!"_

"To the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time..."

Finally there was silence and Anna could hear the voices of magic all around her, reaching out in desperation to tell her of Leola Grayson's sudden closeness.

"_She is very near to you. Reach out, Sithmaith. Reach out and feel her presence!"_

Anna concentrated, and for the first time since the day she had found her mother's cross in the ruins of the old Jennings estate, she heard a familiar and misty voice.

"_Help me, Sithmaith. Release me from this unholy place of darkness. Sithmaith… __release me__."_

The voice was fading fast. _"Leola… I'm here. I can hear you,"_ Anna replied from the deepest center of her mind.

"Anna? Are you coming?"

Anna opened her eyes and looked back. The church was nearly empty and her father and Eric were standing at the door waving at her to join them.

Anna closed her eyes again. _"Where is she? Help me!" _she called to the magic around her.

"_Her voice is silent, Sithmaith. She is…"_

"_Where is the vessel? It must be in the chapel. Where is it? I just heard her."_

"_She is out of our reach now, Sithmaith."_

"_What? But you just said she was close. How can…"_

"Anna?"

She looked back again. "Just a minute, father."

"_Where is the vessel?"_

"_Not here, Sithmaith. She has moved on. But the ally's strength is reborn again…__ for she has heard your voice within the shadows and thus… her sorrows bartered for hope._

FIVE

"I don't understand. How could Leola's vessel be so close and then not?"

It was four o'clock in the afternoon on Christmas Day, and Anna and Mrs. Porchdow were looking all around the chapel, the interior of which had been magically reverted back to its more humble normalcy. Anna had tears in her eyes.

"It doesn't make any sense!"

She was on her hands and knees, crawling on the stone floor and looking under the pews.

"What are the voices saying now?" Mrs. Porchdow asked as she continued looking around the stone alter.

"They just keep repeating they can't feel her presence any longer," Anna replied, frustrated.

"I wonder." Mrs. Porchdow looked up at Anna again. "You don't think it might have been something in the church's decor last night, do you? Something your father might have moved back into storage when he changed the chapel back?"

Anna stared at her to think and then slowly sat back down on one of the pews. "Yes… that must be it!" She jumped to her feet again. "Where does he store the stuff?"

After looking through several outbuildings in the woods around the Porchdow cottage, Anna was frustrated again.

"I just don't understand how the vessel could have been so close and then gone again."

Mrs. Porchdow was still searching through several boxes recently restacked against the wall. She looked at Anna and then walked over to sit next to her against the door. "I don't understand it either."

"Is this all of it? All the stuff that daddy used to decorate the church?"

Mrs. Porchdow nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I don't remember seeing anything in the church that isn't now in a box."

Anna laid her head on her knees. "How could it be there and then not? It just doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't make any sense?"

They looked up and found Mr. Porchdow standing in the doorway.

Anna looked at Mrs. Porchdow knowingly and then up again. "I was just telling Edith about one of my classes at school. We were just cleaning up the rest of the Christmas storage."

"On Christmas Day? You should be up at the house celebrating with your family, not down here in all of this dust and dirt." He looked over to his wife. "And that woman of mine should be spending more time with her grandchildren on this day."

Mrs. Porchdow smiled and then looked at Anna. "He's right. We can finish this before you leave for Castlewood. Our _friends_ would want us to spend what time we can with our family, don't you think?"

Anna looked around again and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. We can't do anything more here anyway."

Mr. Porchdow removed a newspaper from his back pocket. "Did you all see the editorials in the Seer today?" He unrolled the paper to show them the Happy Christmas title on the front page.

"Samuel! I told you not to mention that trash to Anna?"

The man frowned. "When did you tell me that?"

"I told you the first time we saw that nasty editorial about Anna."

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked, trying to chime in.

"But that was months ago. You can't expect me remember something like that. Besides, she's got a right to know what this idiot is writing about her in the paper.

Anna groaned and then reached up to take the newspaper from the man. "Let me see that."

"No child. Not on Christmas. This day should be dedicated to merriment and not the foolish rantings at Spellsburg."

"I want to see it. Where did you say… the editorials?" She started thumbing through the paper.

Mrs. Porchdow glared up at her husband. "You might have ruined her Christmas, old man."

Mr. Porchdow shrugged repentantly as Anna found the opinions.

Editorial Note by Chace Scroggs:

Anna groaned again.

What's happening in our society when the number one suspect in two murder investigations is allowed to leave the city and return home for the holidays? It's bad enough the Crimson Guard hasn't solved the murder of Mr. Michael Wendell or the yet unnamed second victim found in an alley off of Laborer's Street; now they've decided to compound their egregious errors by allowing the most probable suspect to leave their jurisdiction. Miss Anna Grayson of the Guardian Union is the first suspect in both murders. She was seen arguing with Wendell before his murder and then walking with the second victim just hours before his death, and yet this girl was allowed to go home. Who's to say Miss Grayson won't disappear and go into hiding now? Her father, Mr. Boris Grayson, Ministry Director of the Wizarding Banking Authority, is a man with the means to hide his daughter from law enforcement officials investigating these two murders.

Unnamed sources within the Crimson ranks have told me that Miss Grayson is indeed the prime suspect, and the only reason the young girl isn't locked in the city dungeon is because of her father's position in the ministry and the unwavering support of the Chancellor of Castlewood. In addition, it has also been reported to me that a personal letter was found on the second man's body that implicated Miss Grayson in the victim's own writing. Why is this evidence being ignored? Why isn't the mayor insisting the girl be brought back to Spellsburg to answer for these crimes?

In the meantime, I guess we'll have to wait to see if Miss Grayson returns to the plateau on her own to answer a growing list of questions by investigators who privately continue to believe the young girl knows much more about these murders than what she's currently been willing to share. In this writer's opinion, justice has been delayed because the chief suspect comes from a powerful family. We can only hope justice delayed is not justice undone.

Anna threw the paper to the side. She couldn't believe it. "The whole world believes it was me," she whispered.

Mrs. Porchdow was sympathetic. "That's not true, Anna. This is only one man's opinion and nothing more."

"That's right," Mr. Porchdow added. "Opinions are like the bums we sit on… everybody's got one. I'd like to see things from their point of view, of course, but I can't seem to get my head that far up their…"

"Samuel! Don't be vulgar!"

"Well it's true. Anybody who really knows our Anna would also know she's a God-fearing girl who would have nothing to do with this kind of violence. These editors are only writing this kind of trash to stir up trouble. They care more about selling a newspaper than they do reporting the truth."

Anna looked up at the man and tried to smile. "Thank you, Sam."

244


	23. Chapter 21 - The Wooden Box

Chapter 21D06

Chapter 21 (Draft 06)

The Wooden Box

ONE

Lieutenant Dunning was a little nervous as he reached up to knock on the heavy wooden door.

"Come in," said a kind voice from the other side.

"Chancellor, I got your owl, sir?"

"Ah, yes, Gregory. Thank you for your prompt response. It will allow me more time today to prepare for the students' arrival. Please — please, come in."

Dunning entered the Chancellor's office where Thordarson used his wand to move an empty chair in front of his desk.

"Make yourself comfortable. How was your holiday?"

Dunning sat before replying. "I decided to work at the castle this year."

Thordarson had almost seated himself again when he stopped. "Oh… but Gregory, it's Christmas. It's bad enough some of your men have to work through the holiday without making it necessary for you as well."

"It's all right, sir. My parents were abroad this year and visiting with family in Europe."

"What about your sister? Where did Debbie spend her holiday?"

"With family in Canada. Our Aunt Valori lives on Prince Edward Island and Debbie loves the beaches there. She owled me to say they were having a wonderful time."

Thordarson's face brightened. "It sounds like your sister has a lot in common with another one of our students who loves the solitude of an ocean front."

Dunning looked back at him questioningly.

"I'm speaking of course about Anna Grayson."

The chancellor watched the lieutenant's expression fall.

"Speaking of Miss Grayson… have you seen today's editorials?" He slid a newspaper folded open to reveal the article written by Chace Scroggs.

Dunning looked back at the chancellor. "No, sir. I've been rather busy with my duties to take the time."

"Understandable - I usually don't read the editorials myself, but a member of my staff happened across this and it concerned him enough to bring it to my attention. I think that it might concern you was well, so I would ask that you read it now."

Dunning's jaws seemed to tighten, but he didn't argue. He picked up the paper and quickly read through the article. When he finished, he slowly set the paper back down.

"See anything disquieting?"

"I thought the writer was a bit harsh on the Spellsburg Guard. I know Lieutenant Mantos also stayed over the holiday so he could continue the investigation."

"Yes… I would agree. Thomas has been consumed by his search for the truth." The Chancellor paused. "Does anything else in the opinion raise an alarm in your eyes?"

Dunning leaned forward. "Chancellor, perhaps if you just tell me what's concerning you I can respond in manner meeting with your expectations."

The old wizard smiled shrewdly. "Lieutenant… if what you just read had you screaming at the top of your lungs… that just might meet with my expectations."

Dunning fell back again, looking worried.

Thordarson picked up the newspaper and started to read aloud, "'Unnamed sources within the Crimson ranks have told me that Miss Grayson is indeed the prime suspect, and the only reason the young girl isn't locked in the city dungeon is because of her father's position in the ministry and the unwavering support of the Chancellor of Castlewood.'" He scowled at Dunning before reading on. "'In addition, it has also been reported to me that a personal letter was found on the second man's body that implicated Miss Grayson in the victim's own writing.'" He let the paper fall to the desk again.

"It concerns me Gregory that the writer seems to have a source at his disposal within the Crimson ranks who is willing to pass on these unsubstantiated rumors."

"Rumors? If you're talking about the letter found on Mr. Heidelbach's person implicating Anna Grayson in his murder, those _facts_ not in question, sir."

"So you believe, given where we are in the investigation today, that it's proper to share this kind of information to the press?"

Dunning looked stern. "Of course not."

"Good. At last we are agreed on that point. Do you have any idea who within the Crimson Guard might have passed on this information?"

"Other than the writer's word… there's no reason to believe it was one of our men. It could simply be the editor's way of adding credibility and weight to his opinion"

Thordarson raised an eyebrow. "But the letter found on Mr. Heidelbach was discovered by a Crimson Guard and then passed directly to Lieutenant Mantos, to Captain Hayman, and then to the two of us. It was shared with nobody else. Not even the Mayor of Spellsburg was told of it. As a result of this article, however, Ulric Prower was in my office this morning demanding that Miss Grayson be escorted back to the plateau immediately."

Dunning didn't respond.

Thordarson shifted in his chair to take on a more leisurely posture. He stared at Dunning for a while and then came forward again.

"Gregory… I understand how difficult this must be for you."

Dunning frowned. "Sir?"

"To be demoted without a full understand as to the reasons why." Dunning looked surprised and then somber.

"As you know there are many duties required of our Crimson officers," Thordarson continued, "some of which are only known to their captain. And then there are duties associated with the captaincy that are unknown to all but a few within the Ministry of Magic. You wouldn't know the specifics about these duties now, of course, because you were forced to have your memory modified by a Ministry official to extinguish the knowledge of these secret duties before your demotion." The chancellor sighed. "It is regrettable that these measures have to be taken, but they are done for the good of the wizarding community regardless of any personal disagreements I might have with its practice."

Dunning looked uneasy. "It comes with the job, Chancellor. We all know about this requirement long before we're sworn to duty."

Thordarson nodded. "Yes… and I've always admired you and your men for accepting this reality as a part of your obligation and responsibility. You are to be commended."

The Chancellor studied him. "Still, I should tell you that at the time… there were two reasons for your demotion."

Dunning's stare darkened.

"The first we cannot talk about for the reasons we've already discussed, but there was another that I am free to confer." Thordarson leaned forward once more. "It was the passing of investigative information to unauthorized personnel outside the Crimson Guard; namely, to your sister Debbie."

Dunning looked uneasy. "I'm sorry, Chancellor… but you have me at a disadvantage."

"Oh — no doubt, and I understand you cannot be held responsible for a memory you no longer possess to examine. In addition, it would be unfair to your career to be reprimanded again for something that happened more than six months ago. However, I have recently received reports that some of these questionable habits on your part are continuing."

"What? Who has made such reports?"

"The Castlewood Student President, Valentia Olivo."

Dunning looked surprised.

"You see, I received a report from Valentia soon after the investigation started on the attack on Miss Bell. At the time, your sister was overheard discussing what valuables Anna Grayson kept in her room and then was heard to make the comment…" Thordarson looked to check his memory, "now how did Debbie put it again? Oh yes… how I was soon to get the sack for my support of the Hogwarts' Headmaster."

Dunning slowly fell back in his chair.

"Gregory… it is unacceptable to pass on investigative information to someone outside Crimson security. You know this, and this was one of the reasons you lost your captaincy over the summer. Now we have another break in security that could very well put your commission at risk."

"Chancellor, please. If in discussing my job at an informal family gathering I have inadvertently let slip valuable information… I can assure you it was not my intention to…"

"In addition," Thordarson cut in, "this lack of prudence on your part has put you in a very bad light regarding the information being passed to the press about the Heidelbach letter. Were you the person responsible for passing this information on to the newspaper's editor?"

"Of course not!"

"I'm certainly glad to hear that, Gregory; I truly am. Otherwise, I might have been forced to press you more as to the reasons why you did it. You see… for whatever reason it was done, it looks like a vindictive attack the Grayson family name. If true, it would be a most regrettable commentary on the character of any man."

Dunning was silent as Thordarson leaned back.

"And I am sorry that I suspected you, Gregory, and I am relieved it wasn't you."

The two men stared at each other, knowing full well the truth was opposite this conclusion.

"On the other matter: In my studies of the human mind, I have come to believe we sometimes find ourselves repeating our worst habits even if the practice leads to irreparable damage to one's reputation. I will overlook this episode with Debbie, Gregory, but have a care in the future not to discuss the internal matters involving this school with your family. It's important to keep the walls of professionalism high between your work and your private life. Are we agreed?"

"Yes, sir, of course. And I appreciate your willingness to set aside this… lack of discrimination on my part. I can assure you it won't happen again."

"Oh come now, Gregory. We all want what's best for our students; we're all on the same side, yes?"

Dunning wasn't sure how to respond. Luckily, the Chancellor's comments seemed rhetorical.

"And given the fact we _are_ professionals, I need your help with something else."

"Help, sir? Of course… you know I am at your disposal." Dunning was eager to change the subject anyway.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. It's not so much your help I need as it is your cooperation. You see, like yourself, I am very keen to see these murder investigations brought to a swift conclusion and those responsible to justice."

"Yes, sir. You said you needed my cooperation?"

"That's right. Given the letter found on Mr. Heidelbach, and the sometimes volatile relationship she shared with Michael Wendell, it comes to mind that you truly suspect Anna Grayson of these murders."

Dunning seemed unwilling to answer.

"I need your honesty, Gregory."

Dunning took a deep breath. "Yes, sir, I'm afraid I do suspect her."

"And yet you still carry a strong sense of doubt as well."

"Sir?"

"It has come to my attention that you've been helping Lieutenant Mantos outside the castle on the investigation. I might even go as far as to say that's probably the real reason you didn't go home for the holiday."

Dunning looked uneasy again. "Well… yes, I've decided to lend a hand. It hasn't taken away from my duties inside the castle and Mantos seems pleased to use whatever skills I might bring to bear."

"Very admirable and I applaud your enthusiasm to get to the truth. And it was you that found more blood evidence in another alley few blocks down from where Ms. Heidelbach's body was found. Lieutenant Mantos's trust in your skills was obviously well placed; that was some truly marvelous detective work on your part. But I'd like to ask you… why did you go looking for this evidence? More to the point… tell me what lead to you search another alley so far removed from the given crime scene?"

Dunning stared at the man. "Given what we were told happened the night Miss Grayson and the ogre were last seen with the man, searching the other alleys seemed the logical thing to do."

Thordarson smiled. "Can we assume then that you must have given some thought to Miss Grayson's claim of innocence… enough to cause you to go looking for the many other routes the man might have taken back to his hotel that night?"

"Yes, sir. I took the customary routes between the two locations and found nothing. Then I decided to follow a few unconventional routes that eventually led to the second alley where I found the Muggle's blood."

Thordarson nodded and then his face turned very serious. "Gregory… I ask you now to look deep within your heart, where you're proven skills as a law enforcement officer lie next to your peaked suspicions: do you truly think Anna Grayson murdered both Michael Wendell and her friend Mr. Heidelbach?"

Dunning frowned. "There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that leads to this conclusion, sir."

"I'm not talking about the evidence. I'm talking about your instincts. That amazing quality within your brilliant mind that pressed you to look at the other routes Mr. Heidelbach might have taken to his hotel that night after leaving Anna's company." The Chancellor waited for a reply and when it was obvious one was not forthcoming, he said, "You carry a rather marvelous obsession, Gregory; a fixation, really, to check every possibility. It was your instincts that forced you to set aside the simple evidence left on the body and forced you to go looking for those other possibilities.

"There was no reason to search the pathways you did other than to confirm Mr. Heidelbach had made it safely to his room that night. Although the additional evidence you found doesn't completely exonerate Anna of suspicion, it does tell us that while Trog was escorting Anna back to the castle that night, it's quite possible Mr. Heidelbach was attacked just a few moments later. Your actions tell me, despite the evidence against Anna, you did have some lingering questions about her culpability."

Dunning thought about it and then looked up at Thordarson again. "But I still believe…"

"What do you believe, Gregory? Do you truly believe a fourteen year old girl living in this school could have murdered two people in the brutal way in which they were found? I ask you now for the honestly given those marvelous instincts you carry. What do you _truly_ believe?"

The lieutenant's expression darkened and it seemed to the Chancellor it was taking all of Dunning's strength to finally admit to some inner truth. Finally, the man's posture seemed to relax.

"I suppose… deep down, I find it unlikely the girl did it."

Thordarson looked pleased.

"But we cannot set aside all of the evidence that implicates her," Dunning added quickly.

Thordarson shrugged. "Surely not, Gregory, but we now must also ask ourselves why somebody would go to so much trouble to make it look like Anna Grayson was a murderer."

The Chancellor paused for a moment and then, "And what of the attack on her roommate, Miss Bell? Do you believe the unforgivable assault on her person is an unconnected incident? What do your suspicions tell you there?"

The lieutenant seemed strained again. "I suppose it is possible that the roommate was used to steal something from Grayson as a way to implicate her."

"I see your openness to these possibilities refreshing," Thordarson replied with an encouraging smile, "which leads us back to my original request for you corporation."

Thordarson leaned in again. "If somebody _is_ trying to implicate Anna Grayson in these two murders and then going as far to use the _Imperious _curse on Miss Bell to push this plan forward more, then Anna would likely be in very great danger if she were to come back to the plateau."

Dunning suddenly looked angry. "Are you trying to tell me the girl won't be returning after the holiday? Chancellor - that would be unfair to the ongoing investigation. I warned Captain Hayman before he let the girl go home that she might not come back if it meant facing more questions about these crimes and…"

"I didn't mean to suggest she would not return, Lieutenant. I only meant to say that when she does come back, she should have some extra protection surrounding her."

Dunning looked to protest again, but Thordarson cut him short.

"I know what you're going to say – that if Anna stays within the castle your men should be able to provide ample security. However, the men under your command are meant to insure the castle is secure as a whole and all its students within are kept safe. They are not dedicated to the security of just one child."

Dunning seemed untrusting. "So… what are you suggesting, sir?"

"Mister Grayson and I have agreed that Anna should be granted extra security at the family's expense."

"What kind of security?"

"A bodyguard within the castle grounds."

"Who?"

"We haven't finalized all the details yet, but I wanted you to know this person will be working with you and Captain Hayman very closely to insure they do not get in the way of normal castle security and function. I have already made the captain aware of the situation and he has agreed to allow these extra precautions to be put in place if you are in agreement."

"Do I know his man?"

"Yes… I think so, but I'd rather not say until the final arrangements are completed. This person will report to you before beginning his duties out of respect to your post and given responsibilities, but I'm also asking for your cooperation as well. If Anna is innocent of these crimes then I am sure you can understand her family's concern."

Dunning looked spectacle. "I can't have an outsider getting in the way of the duties given my men, sir."

"Absolutely not; castle security remains under your charge. Are we agreed then?"

Dunning seemed reluctant, but he finally nodded.

"Good!" Thordarson got to his feet. "I appreciate you coming in to see me over the holiday. As always, it shows a tremendous amount of dedication on your part."

Dunning stood. "Thank you, sir." He turned and was almost at the door.

"And… Lieutenant?"

Dunning hesitated and then turned.

"I am glad to see that you and Professor Qwaad have become… friendly."

"Sir?"

The Chancellor smiled. "I've always thought of you as something of a loner, Gregory, going all the way back to when you were a student here at the school. Even with the solitude given your position above your men, you are, as they say, a man unto himself. I am gratified that you seem to have found a friend within the castle in which you can associate."

Dunning frowned. "Qwaad is a good teacher and I respect that in him."

Thordarson's eyes sparkled. "Let's call it an acquaintance, then, of like minds."

Dunning nodded and then turned and left the chancellor's office.

A few seconds later another man entered the room. "I still don't know why you keep him around."

Thordarson didn't look up as he sat again behind his desk. "Because I see a lot of good in Gregory Dunning… and… because it would tip our hand if I sent him packing."

Bartholomaeus Qwaad sneered. "I find him subtly crude and vindictive; a terrible blend in any man."

"Crude? Oh I don't know." Thordarson looked at the closed door again. "Vindictive? Yes… there is that…" he thought for a moment. "But you don't know him as well as I do… and I see great potential."

"And I see a vengeful little man bent on revenge."

They were quiet for a moment and then, "Did you reach out to Boris like I asked?"

"Yes, sir. He sends his prayers for Arthur to Molly."

Thordarson looked somber. "And?"

"He asked me to relay his decision to send his daughter back to the plateau."

Thordarson's face brightened. "Good, good." He stood. "Boris is a man of immense courage, but his greatest gift has always been one of brilliant deliberation."

Qwaad looked unsure. "To be honest with you… I told him I thought it was a mistake. The girl could be in great danger if she comes back to Spellsburg. You must know this, sir."

Thordarson looked at Qwaad and then walked to his window overlooking the walls of the Guardian Union Hall. He stared at the purple flags flapping briskly atop its merlons and sighed.

"Yes… the evil set against her is formidable," he looked back again, "but her training is paramount. Has our guest arrived yet?"

"Yes, Chancellor. As you requested, I escorted him up the back steps and he's waiting outside your private entrance."

"Excellent. Would you show him in for me?"

Qwaad bowed and then disappeared. A moment later, he returned with a large and rather nervous visitor by his side."

"John Dell… it's so very good to see you again." The Chancellor walked over and set out his hand.

John looked surprised at the Chancellor's greeting and then smiled broadly. He reached out and shook Thordarson's smaller hand in his.

"It is an honor, sir," he replied in awe.

"It's been a while since I've had the privilege to speak to you privately like this, but…"

"It was in my first year, sir. You summoned me to your office to tell me… about… the death of my mother. I…" his voice stumbled and Qwaad tried to look away from large man's lingering grief.

John Dell sniffed and then suddenly realized he hadn't taken off his hat. He quickly snatched it off of his head. "I'm… sorry, sir."

Thordarson smiled. "Not at all, my boy… it is rather cold in here. Would you like to sit?"

John looked at the small chair in front of Thordarson's desk and swallowed hard.

"Or… we can stand and talk if you would prefer."

John looked relieved as he gripped his hat and nodded.

"I'm sure Boris has already shared his appreciation for what you've agreed to do here, but I felt it necessary to show you my gratitude as well. It's so very good of you to take on this extraordinarily important role."

"Thank you, sir. It shouldn't be a problem keeping Anna Grayson safe and out of trouble."

Thordarson immediately looked concerned. "I wouldn't be too sure in your assumptions. Anna is very young and hasn't been in the castle long enough to understand the normal dangers that exist within these walls. Adding to this, of course, are the dangers within the city. I take it you have been briefed about the murders and the attack on her roommate?"

"Yes, sir. Mister Grayson has told me everything," he looked at Qwaad, "and who can be trusted within the castle."

"I have informed Lieutenant Dunning about the extra security precautions we're putting in place for the girl's sake. You should report to him directly after leaving here."

"Yes, sir. I will do that immediately."

"Very good." Thordarson looked at John appraisingly for a few seconds before turning. "I have one more thing for you."

Thordarson walked back to his desk and picked up a carved, wooden box. He returned to John and raised it up to show him.

John's eyes widened when he saw the box.

"Given your new responsibilities, I believe this item might be helpful to you once again."

John swallowed hard as he took the box and a wave of heartbreaking memories flew into his mind. He blinked as one shiny tear escaped to run down the side of his cheek.

"Good luck, John. And please… keep a care for yourself in all of this, all right?"

The large man sniffed. "Yes, sir. I'll keep the girl safe."

The Chancellor nodded and then patted the man on his elbow above him. "Well… that's all I wanted to say, so I'll let you go and unpack."

A few moments later, Thordarson and Qwaad were alone once again.

"I don't know that much about John Dell. Is Boris sure he's the best man for the job."

Thordarson smiled. "If Boris wasn't certain then I would have tried to talk him into it. John Dell is more than what he seems. As big and intimidating as he obviously is, he has one quality in substantial measure that sets him far apart from any other wizard I've ever met."

"And what would that be?"

Thordarson glanced at the door where John Dell had left his office. "He carries with him an ambition to do what it is right… regardless of whatever danger may come of it to himself." He turned to Qwaad again, looking worried. "His altruism borders on the fanatical."

TWO

"It's so very nice to get a visitor from Castlewood," said a kindly woman, sitting on a couch. "Would you like some tea?" she offered hopefully, reaching for a small pot sitting on a tray between the couple and their guest.

Although Ines Valeria didn't drink tea, she smiled and nodded. "That would be very nice, thank you."

"You said your family lives in Mexico? How exciting. Isn't that exciting, Robert?"

The man sitting next to her didn't respond. Her husband sat there quietly staring at the young woman who he had found knocking on their front door just a few minutes earlier. After letting her enter their home, the man looked outside for a parked car. _Where had she come from?_ he wondered.

Ines found the man's glower unnerving. "Ah… yes. I come from a very small town called Colina de Ánima. It's on the east coast of Mexico a little north of Veracruz." She lifted her cup to sip at the tea, looking at the woman's husband again who remained stoic.

"I wish you could have come yesterday, my dear. Unity only left to go back to Castlewood a few hours ago."

"Yes, I know. In fact I came late on purpose, because I was hoping that I might speak to the two of you alone."

The woman swallowed hard. "Oh… I see." She suddenly leaned in. "So… how is Unity getting along at Castlewood? Our daughter doesn't speak of it much or write many letters, and her father and I are a little worried about her. It must be hard to… ah… to transfer into a new school."

"From what I've heard from some of the other students she seems to be settling in rather well. She says she prefers to be called… Nox?"

The mother's face fell. She looked at her husband again and then nervously tried to smile once more. "Well, yes, but to be honest… we were hoping she would eventually outgrow the need for a nickname and go back to her given name."

Ines smiled back. "I think Unity is a beautiful name. I'm sure, in time, she will eventually…."

"Is our daughter in trouble?" Mr. Yolland suddenly said, cutting across her.

"Robert…" the mother whispered back in surprise, "of course not!" She tried to smile again at Ines, looking very nervous. "She isn't in any trouble, is she?"

"No, ma'am, not at all. The purpose of my visit is just to learn a bit more about her. You see… I'm visiting the parents of some of our newest Guardians at the school and…"

"Guardians? What is that?" interrupted the man again.

Ines was taken aback. "Oh… I had assumed your daughter might have told you about…" Ines hesitated, "well… let me explain."

It took Ines twenty minutes to tell the parents how the Guardians had been sustained the previous year at Castlewood. She told them the history of Merlin's guardians and their ambitions to care for the magical places and objects of the wizarding world.

"And you're saying there are only fifty of these guardians in the entire world?" asked the father.

"Well no. There are a few more, but that's how many are currently at the school today. Some of us who were Guardians at Castlewood last year have already graduated."

"So you… are a guardian as well?" asked the mother.

"Yes, ma'am, I am."

"So why are you here?" the man said suspiciously. "As you can plainly see, there are no magical objects in our small village. In fact, the only thing magical around here left a few hours ago to go back to Castlewood."

"That was my understanding as well and that's why I have come to visit with you. It was our understanding that everybody living here… living in the town, I mean, is a… ah…"

"A squib. Yeah… that's right," the man replied, looking worriedly at his wife.

"So it is true. You're all squibs?"

"Oh my God! You're from the Ministry of Magic, aren't you?" the mother yelped unexpectedly. "Our Unity is still in school and she still calls this place her home! The Ministry can't come in here and…"

"Edith!" chided her husband. "Enough! She never said anything about working for the Ministry of Magic." The man's expression softened as he raised a hand to sooth his wife. "Why don't you go back upstairs and finish your nap. Let me do this and then I'll come up and tell you what's going on, okay?"

His wife looked at Ines again and then back to her husband. "Would you, Robert? Because I just can't do this right now. Not again — not again! It's just so…cruel to think…"

"It's all right. I know, sweetheart." he said soothingly. "You go upstairs and relax and I'll be up shortly."

The woman nodded and then stood. She looked at Ines. "I'm sorry for my outburst, dear. I just haven't been sleeping very well lately. Unity is so young and it's been difficult to see her leave…" she hesitated and Ines stood.

"I understand, ma'am, and I know you miss your daughter. You remind me of my own mother when I first left for Castlewood. I'm sure with a little more time things will get better… for everybody."

The woman nodded appreciatively and then slowly turned to ascend the staircase.

"You'll find your pills on the nightstand, sweetheart. I'll be up soon to check on you."

The two watched the woman disappear and then Ines turned to the father.

"I'm very sorry, sir. I didn't mean to…"

Mr. Yolland raised a finger to his lips to quiet her and then motioned to follow him. They moved to the kitchen and out a rear door that led to a flowered backyard.

"Oh my," Ines cooed. "It's beautiful back here; all the flowers and the plantings… how very lovely."

The man smiled. "Some people call it gardening, but I call it my wife's nervous habit. I see she's been having problems again with her Day Breakers," he observed, pointing to a sickly looking rose. He looked back at Ines.

"You'll have to forgive my wife. Ever since Unity left to go to school it's been very difficult on her. But it's more than just losing our only child for most of the year, we're also worried about what her going off and into the world will mean to those who still live here in our village."

"You're talking about the Ministry practice of memory obliteration?"

The man looked at her. "So you know about that too, huh?"

"Yes, sir. We have confirmed the Ministry hasn't done it in more than fifty years, but the wizarding law is… regrettably… still in effect."

The man looked somber. "We had hoped that by now the law might have been set aside, but..." he looked at her again, "we were afraid to ask for fear it would just bring unwanted attention to us and our neighbors."

Ines tried to comfort the man. "I've come here today to confirm what we've heard about your village and your daughter's place here. I'm to report back to those who are looking to protect the Guardians and their families any way we can."

The man looked concerned. "But… who's receiving these reports and what can they hope to do about our situation here?"

"My contact is very high up in the Ministry of Magic. In fact, he reports directly to the Minister herself, but his daughter is also a member of the new Guardian Union. Once I report back, I'm sure he'll be looking to quietly change this law without mentioning Nox, your village, or the people who live here."

The man suddenly seemed hopeful. "You can't imagine what that would do for this village and for our daughter's future."

Ines smiled. "Can I ask you a difficult question? Is this why your daughter seems so..." she hesitated.

"Mad and angry at the entire world?" The man replied with a smile. He turned to look around the flowered garden again. "As beautiful a place as this might seem to us, I suppose it should be expected that a young girl would feel trapped when told she couldn't leave it." He turned to Ines again. "Our daughter might seem hash… but we know her heart well. Through all the rebelliousness, I hope you will eventually come to see the goodness within her."

"I'm sure that's true, sir. As I see it, she's only angry because her future is always in question, but that's not really true, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your daughter could leave here after she graduates from Castlewood Academy and never look back." She looked at Nox's father and smiled. "It's only because she won't leave this village to the whims of the Ministry that she remains hostile. After seeing all of this, it would concern me more if she wasn't angry, because that would mean she really didn't care at all."

Mr. Yolland studied the young Guardian for a moment and then nodded. Ines smiled and then raised her wand from out of her robes.

"_Rosaceaeous!" _she whispered softly, and the sickly rose blooms began to lift to face the sun and fill with pink. The man looked at Ines and for the first time since she had met the man, he smiled at her.

"My mother is a gardener too," Ines told him.

THREE

Anna was standing at the edge of the forest watching the men rebuilding the Jennings ancestral home. She had tears in her eyes when she should have been smiling.

"It really is coming along," Mrs. Porchdow said standing next to her. "It's like the presence of an old ghost coming back to visit us." She looked at Anna and suddenly thought of the abundant choice of words she might have used instead.

Anna's face began to crumble as she came forward to cry into the woman's chest.

"There-there now. We'll find her. I know we will. I'll just take a little longer than we expected."

Anna sobbed louder, gripping the woman tight.

"Oh child… your coming home has truly inspired me to look harder. I'll put my feet on every inch of this mountain while you're away, I promise." Anna was clinching her fists tight in her friend's robes behind her back. "Have faith, Anna, have faith," she whispered softly.

"What's the matter with you?" said an intruding voice.

Anna and Mrs. Porchdow looked up to find Damon standing at the end of the path exiting the trees. Anna frowned. It immediately occurred to her that she had never seen her brother so far from the house.

Mrs. Porchdow smiled as she smoothed Anna's hair.

"Nothing — just two women taking much too long to say goodbye again. I have to get back to the garden house before Samuel wakes up. He'll be looking for his breakfast."

The woman walked over to Damon. "My — but you're getting so tall, Damon. Your mother would be so proud of you." She kissed him on the cheek, sniffed, and then looked back at Anna. "Have a safe trip and I'll darken the skies with owls, I promise."

Anna smiled as the woman turned and headed into the forest and down the hill.

Damon looked suspicious as he came forward. "What the hell was that all about?" he said wiping his cheek.

Anna scowled. "It's called kindness, Damon. I can understand why you're having trouble recognizing it."

"Yeah, but she works here. She's an employee."

Anna rolled her eyes as she turned to watch the men working on her future home. Her brother stepped in to stand by her side and his closeness immediately made her feel uneasy.

"Father sent me up here to get you. The cars are on their way."

"Yes — I know."

They watched a beam being raised by one of the workers with his wand.

"I don't understand any of this," Damon finally admitted. "Why is father rebuilding this place?"

"Daddy already told the family why. This is where I've decided to live."

Damon looked at her. "But you're only fourteen years old. How can you possibly know this is where you'll live for the rest of your life?" He looked at the building again. "It's a total waste of gold."

"Is that what you're worried about, Damon, gold? Well don't worry... I'm sure daddy will have your inheritance ready when it's time."

He looked at her. "I trust he will… but my portion is lessened now that you're getting this house and all the surrounding property."

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard father telling Eric about his decision to set aside all the Jennings' assets just for you." He looked at Anna appraisingly. "You being the only Jennings left, I guess."

Anna was surprised. "I... I had no idea."

"Really?"

Anna turned ugly. "That's right, Damon. Daddy never told me!"

Her brother looked skeptical.

"Careful there!" yelled one of the workers directing several wizards, as they raised another beam high into the air.

"Did you talk to father about your roommate trying to commit suicide?"

"Suicide?" Anna was surprised again. "What are you talking about? Sarah Bell would never do such a thing."

Her brother frowned. "You seem to forget... two members of my union saw the girl jump into the moat. She didn't accidentally fall like you and Reese told everybody. Debbie Dunning has been telling everybody she jumped to the grindylows after she was caught stealing from you."

"And you believe Debbie Dunning?"

"No."

"Then stop repeating that rubbish!"

"I will… just as soon as you tell me what really happened."

Anna gritted her teeth. Professor Thordarson had given her specific instructions not to tell anybody about Sarah being a victim of an unforgivable curse.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because the Chancellor told me not to."

Damon frowned again. "The Chancellor of Castlewood told you to lie?"

"Of course not! He just… told me not tell anybody what really happened."

"And you thought that left you cause to lie to your family?" He leaned back, his mind retreating to think. After a short time he stepped in again. "I want to know what really happened."

"I told you… I can't."

"Yes you can. It's obvious father and Eric know what happened, and before we left school all the Knights were told that you were restricted to the castle unless you had an escort." Damon was suddenly stern. "You told me on the way home to be on my guard. You wouldn't have said that unless you thought we might be in danger. If Tencha, Dowla or I left the castle grounds… would that concern you? Would you be worried for our safety too?"

Anna thought about it. She tried to imagine what would come into her mind if she saw her sisters walking across the drawbridge at night, if she saw Damon walking through a dark alley in Spellsburg. She looked at him again. "Yes… I would be afraid if you were alone in the city."

"THEN TELL ME WHY?" He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders. "We have the right to know!"

Anna could feel a growl rumble up through her throat.

"What is it you're not telling us?" He pushed her back. "You… oh bringer of peace… refusing to do all you can to keep your family safe. You disgust me!"

Anna suddenly felt ashamed. Although she knew Damon well enough to understand his brand of trickery to get her to talk, in that moment she knew her brother was right. She turned away to look at the Jennings' estate and then into the trees above them. She took a deep breath and then glared again at him.

Damon's anger was apparent, his face turning red. "You tell me… right now. I have a right to know why we're in danger. What really happened to your roommate?"

Anna finally relented. "She was cursed!"

"What?"

"You heard me. Sarah Bell was cursed into enslavement."

Damon's eyes widened. "Enslavement? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know. Thordarson told me it was something called the _Imperious Curse _of enslavement."

Her brother looked staggered. "My God. Are you sure that's what the Chancellor said? He used those exact words?"

"Yes Damon. It's one of three _unforgivable curses_ outlawed years ago by…"

"I KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS!" he yelled back.

He turned away and Anna could see Damon's mind struggling to pull the pieces of the puzzle together, searching for the meaning in the information she had given him. In that moment Anna was surprised at how much he reminded her of their father.

He glared at her again. "So the girl _did_ steal something from you."

"Yes, but she was forced into doing it. It wasn't her fault."

"And this attack on your roommate is now connected to the murders in the city and that's why you've been restricted to the castle. It's got nothing to do with you being a suspect – but your personal safety and that's why the Crimson ogre has been stationed outside the drawbridge at night."

Anna was amazed at how quickly her brother's mind was working.

Damon finally nodded. "Yes… I see."

"Damon, you can't tell anybody else about this. It's very important to the Chancellor that nobody know."

Damon looked at her again. "I agree… but after we tell Tencha and Dowla."

"But Professor Thordarson told me…"

"To hell with what Thordarson told you. Tencha and Dowla have to know. They will be warned!"

Anna was about to argue back when a sudden howl behind them turned their attention back to the forest where a dazzling, white bull unexpectedly entered the clearing. It shot forward to encircle them, a streaking smear of white radiance that bellowed as it thrust its luminous horns into the air. Anna smiled as she watched it turn and then retreat into the forest once more.

Damon looked at her. "The cars are here. It's time to go."

245


	24. Chapter 22 - The Ore of Nouméa

Chapter 22D06

Chapter 22 (Draft 06)

The Ore of Nouméa

ONE

"How was your holiday, Sarah?" Anna asked her roommate. They were standing in Loon's Lagoon and waiting to go up the boat ramp to the Allegany Pride.

"It was…very… very… nice," Sarah stammered back. "How… about…" she struggled and coughed, "y…y… yours?"

"It was okay" Anna looked at Gwen pensively. Sarah was still struggling to speak to Anna directly.

"Did you get anything good for Christmas?" Gwen asked Sarah, looking to end the girl's struggles.

"Oh yes. I got a new pair of ski boots and poles."

"Don't tell me you're going to ski again?"

Sarah smiled. I've already been. There was thirty inches of new powder in the mountains back home."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Honestly, girl. I've never met anybody working so hard to break her neck."

"Anna… are you," Sarah struggled again, "are you… oh… oh… okay?"

Anna caught herself thinking about her alley. She wanted to tell her two friends about her struggles to find the vessel holding Leola, but she knew Dumbledore would forbid it. Any mention of a horcrux would break her promise.

"Yeah… I guess I'm just a little sad about leaving daddy again."

The three girls shared their holiday experiences all the way back to the docks of Spellsburg. An hour later they were winding their way up the cobblestone streets of the city, smiling and waving at the shopkeepers lining the streets to welcome them back. A few minutes later, they were inspecting the newest fashions in robes when they heard what sounded like angry yelling farther up the hill.

Anna looked at the others frowned. "What's going on?"

They headed off together to the increasing sounds of a crowd yelling when a blast from a wand pushed them to run. A crowd of students had gathered around the base of the steps at the city museum.

The girls found another Guardian standing behind the crowd. He was yelling angrily at something in the center.

"I said get back!" they heard another man yelling.

"Let them go! You have no right. Stop it!" somebody in the crowd yelled back

"Joe — what's going on?" Gwen said, pulling at the other guardian's robes. She noticed his wand was drawn.

"Stop it!" Joe Philias cried out. "You're hurting them!"

"What's happening?" Gwen turned her classmate by the arm. "Joe!"

The boy was red in the face. "The Crimson Guards are arresting some Guardians."

"What?"

Anna stood on her toes to see what was happening. "Why? Who is it?"

Joe began to shove his way through the crowd. "Get out of my way. I'm going to stop this!" Anna, Gwen and Sarah followed Joe through the crowd until they came upon an open circle where they saw three Guardians lying face down on their fronts and several Crimson Guards standing over them. Another guard was waving the angry crowd back.

"Stay back, I tell you. This is official security business and these three are under arrest!"

The Guardian Knight Gabriel Laroche pushed her way through the crowd and into the circle. "What is this? What are you doing?" she yelled at the guards.

The Crimson sergeant brought his wand around to point at her. He suddenly looked relieved to see a student knight.

"Guardian Knight… get your people back — now!"

Gabriel looked around to see the members from every union hall in the crowd, including a number of Guardians with their wands out.

"Lower your wands!" the sergeant yelled.

The Guardian sixth year Teresa Sinclair came forward raising her wand threatening at the guards. "And I said let them go — now!"

The Guardian Knight stepped in front of Teresa. "Put that away!"

Teresa looked furious. "We're not going to stand by and just let these thugs treat our people this way!"

Gabriel grabbed her arm. "I said PUT IT AWAY!"

Teresa finally obeyed and the Knight turned to the other guardians. "The same goes for the rest of you!"

Slowly… each of them lowered their arms.

"Please, sir," came a soft voice and Gabriel looked around to see Anna slowly walking forward to face the guards alone, "please… what have these students done?"

"They were caught stealing from the museum!"

"That's a lie!" yelled an arrested fourth year guardian named John Gryskiewicz. "We asked them two months ago to stop abusing the Ore! We were only offering to help them today when they jumped us!"

Anna looked down at a large, polished stone the size of a man's head engulfed in green flames.

"They were trying to smoother its flame!" yelled another guardian, lying on the ground next to John.

A guard standing over them rudely used his boot to shove the girl back down.

"Stop that!" Gabriel yelled out. "That's not necessary!"

"Please, sir," Anna pleaded softly. "Please… let my friends go. They were only trying to protect an object of magical significance, which is our mission and cause. Surely you can see they didn't mean any harm."

"I said step back!" the guard yelled, pointing his wand menacingly at Anna. The guard was immediately struck in the back by a bolt of red light emerging from the other side of the crowd.

"Oh my God!" Anna yelled.

At once several more Crimson Guards swooped in on doors and brooms all around them.

"You will disperse or risk arrest and expulsion!" yelled another guard, who moved in to stand over his injured comrade. Several more guards began pushing their way through the crowd and it wasn't long before the students realized they were completely outmatched. Another guard pointed his wand skyward and sent an orange bolt into the air. Within seconds the crowd could hear the sound of squeaking and flapping wings over their heads. They looked up to see a large cage with metal wings gliding in to land in their center. The metal oddity hit the ground with a bang and a hinged door, rusted by age, screeched loudly as it swung itself open. The three guardians were hauled upright by the back of their robes and pushed roughly into the cell. The bared door was closed with a bang behind them.

A Guardian sixth year, Janet Wardrop, immediately stuck her hands through the bars at the Guardian Knight. "Gabriel — please send an owl to my parents. Tell them what's happening."

"Tell them we were set up!" John yelled through the bars next to her. "The guards were waiting for us and pounced when we tried to help them with the stone. Somebody give me a wand!"

"No!" Gabriel yelled back. "Please… everybody calm down. I'm trying to defuse the situation before somebody gets hurt."

"It's too late for that, Guardian Knight," moaned the hexed Guard as he was helped to his feet again. "Take them away!"

The flying cell unfurled its wings with a screech of rubbing metal and began to flap as the crowd started to yell their anger and disgust. Servers, Defenders, Artisans, Guardians, Searchers and Laborers alike were all screaming at the guards.

"You set them up! This isn't right! It's brutality!"

"What do you think will happen to them?" Anna asked Gabriel as they watched the cage flying away. The girl looked afraid.

"I expect they might be suspended."

"Suspended? No… they wouldn't. They were only trying to help."

The Knight grabbed Anna by the arm and pulled her to the side. "Do you have a way of contacting your brother Eric?"

Anna was surprised. "I… I think so. He left for Castlewood two days ago. He's either up at the castle or in his apartment preparing his classes again. Why?"

"Because Eric warned us something like this might happen after the Guardians' protests at the museum a few weeks ago. He met with the mayor afterward and came back with a warning that if anything like that happened again, the Mayor might suspend or even expelled the Guardians involved. If your brother still has any influence with the mayor at all, we could use his help now. Can you find him?"

"All right. I'll go to his apartment and…"

"No you will not," said a man's voice behind her. It was John Dell. "You are restricted to the castle, Anna. You are not allowed in the city without an escort."

"John? What are you doing here?" Gabriel yelped in surprise.

"No time to explain. Anna can't be in the city alone. Send somebody else to Eric's apartment to petition the Mayor's office. Anna can search for her brother once she's inside the castle."

"I know where Eric lives," Gwen offered. She looked at Anna. "He's still at The Blotter on Leth Alley, right?"

"Yeah… room 507 facing the Guardian Hall."

Gwen looked at Gabriel and John Dell, "Sarah and I will go and see if we can find him." She immediately began pushing her way back through the crowd and then ran off with Sarah by her side.

"Let's get you back to the castle before something else happens," John said, directing Anna up the hill. He looked at Gabriel. "And I would suggest you get this lot in line before more Guardians are put at risk."

"Where is it?" yelled one of the Crimson Guards. "Where's the Ore?"

Anna, John and Gabriel looked around and several guards were now pushing their way roughly through the crowd of students.

Anna looked down at where the flaming stone sat just a moment earlier. Sure enough, the stone of gone.

"Where the hell is the stone?" yelled the guard again. He glared up at Gabriel. "One of the Guardians must have taken it. I want it returned — right now!"

"How do you know it was a Guardian that took it? It might just as well have been a Defender," said a smiling Steven Durkin from the Defender Union and a large crowd of Defenders around him cheered in agreement.

"Or the Laborers!" called another student with green embroidery on her arms.

"No," said another student, "I thought I saw an Artisan running off with the stone in that direction."

The sergeant looked furious as he turned to look at his men. "Find it! I want that stone back in the museum immediately. Check everywhere. I want it back!"

TWO

"I'm sorry, Eric, but the Mayor isn't here at the moment. He's up at the castle talking to the Chancellor about this afternoon's lawlessness at the museum," said the Mayor's assistant.

"Lawlessness? Who would call a simple misunderstanding lawlessness?"

The man looked at Eric and frowned. "Why… the Mayor did before he left."

Eric was worried. Ever since Gwen and Sarah had come banging on his apartment door, he was afraid whatever action he took with the Mayor to defend the guardians would come far too late.

"Do you know where they've taken the arrested students?"

"Yes. They've been placed in the city dungeons, where all criminals end up."

"The dungeons? But they're just children. Is that really necessary?"

"The Mayor was quite insistent on the matter and, as it turns out, the Minister of Magic was in full agreement."

"The… the Minister of Magic? You mean Minister Barkelnap is already aware of this misunderstanding?"

"Yes she is. In fact I believe it was the Minister's idea to put them in the dungeon."

"Dear God," Eric whispered. He turned and headed for the door.

"And… Eric?"

Eric looked back.

"It would be rude of me not to warn you: I would suggest you stay clear of this office unless the Mayor decides to summon you directly."

"Why is that?"

"Because I believe the Mayor blames you for the disorder in the city today."

"Me? Why me?"

"I heard the Mayor telling the Minister he tried to warn you before Christmas that this kind of hooliganism would not be tolerated. He asked you to warn the Guardians away from creating the kind of disorder seen a couple of weeks ago at the museum and yet we have what happened today. The Mayor is very angry with your lack of diligence in his matter."

Eric frowned. There was something in the assistant's manner that troubled him. He returned to the desk. "Can I ask you a question? Why were there Crimson Guards stationed in the museum today?"

The man looked surprised. "I would think it's because the objects within are extremely valuable."

"But the museum already has a caretaker and several watchmen, all of which are extremely gifted and understanding the differences between security and the special needs of the objects in their care. In fact I know the caretaker Mr. Lumsden very well. It's very hard for me to believe he would allow an untrained Crimson Guard on the premises given his fondness and concern for these magical objects… and yet there were several guards already inside the building when the students arrived on the plateau today. It would seem to the most objective observer… they might have been expecting trouble."

The man didn't answer him.

"In addition, several Guardians have told us the Crimson Guards looked like they were trying to extinguish the stone's enduring flame. If true, that would have certainly caused them to expect a reaction."

The man sighed. "As I said, Eric, it might be wise to stay clear of his office until this issue is finally resolved."

Eric nodded and then turned for the door. "Thanks for the warning."

THREE

Later that same evening, all of the students in the Rotunda rose as one when Chancellor Thordarson entered the dining hall and stepped up to the podium. Even through his black glasses, he looked forbidding. He scanned the entire audience from left to right before speaking.

"Sit!"

As quietly as it seemed possible, all of the students of Castlewood took their seats.

Thordarson's face turned angry and his mane of white hair seemed to rise up as he spoke. "I am very disappointed with those who participated in the unlawful and shameful thievery at the city museum today."

There was an immediate and negative reaction from the students.

"No Professor… that's not what happened… the Crimson Guards were at fault… they brutalized…"

"SILENCE!"

The room was immediately quiet.

"For whatever the reason the Guardians have contributed to this… episode… know this: you have put our school and your mission into jeopardy with this unthinking action."

Gabriel looked around at the table of Guardians and nodded her agreement.

"I am especially disappointed in the student leaders who were present at the time and did nothing to stop this inexcusable breach of our code of honor. Need I remind you that while Castlewood might have been here before the city was built around it, by charter we are now guests of the city of Spellsburg?"

He paused as if to calm himself. "Additionally, I am most outraged by the unwarranted attack upon a Crimson Guard while in the deployment of his duties at the museum. If anybody in this room knows who it was that hexed Sergeant Miller in the back, then I implore you to come forward at once."

He looked around the room as did most of the Guardians in the Rotunda, but nobody said a word.

"Very well." He took a deep breath. "It is my unfortunately duty to tell you that two of our fourth year students, John Gryskiewicz and Marian Nelson, and a sixth year, Janet Wardrop, all of the Guardian Hall, have been expelled from the city by the Mayor of Spellsburg."

There was a collective gasp from the students.

"These three students," the Chancellor continued over the spattering of protests, "have already been escorted back to the dock, put aboard the Allegheny Pride, and at this very moment are on their way home again. If… they are invited to return next September, they will have to repeat this entire year of study at the academy."

Anna was stunned. She looked around at the rest of the Guardians who were all surprised; some were crying.

"Lastly, it has come to my attention that the magical object that caused this… near riot… is still missing. Stolen from the museum! I'll have you know the Living Ore of Nouméa is a very ancient artifact of great historical significance on loan to our city from France, and that country's Minister has already lodged a formal protest to the American Minister of Magic about it being taken. If this artifact is returned to the museum by the end of the day tomorrow, no further enquires will be made as to how it went missing. Otherwise, I have promised the French Minister I will lead the search to find it myself and to insure its safe return. The task in finding it should not be too difficult given there are not too many minerals of such magical quality that burn continuously. If the stone is not returned by the deadline given, the person found keeping it will be the assumed a thief and will be expelled from the school permanently." He stepped back and heaved. "I am very disappointed with you tonight and I can only hope you will diligently work with me to savage what we can of our reputation."

Stunned, the entire student body stood silent as the Chancellor turned to leave, but as he opened the door to the side to exit he turned again. "Anna Grayson?"

Anna gulped and then slowly stepped into the aisle. "Yes, sir," she replied meekly.

The Chancellor was scanning the student tables until he found her. His stare darkened. "I'd like a word with you in private, if you please."

Anna looked fearful. "Yes, sir. Right away." She left the table to join the Chancellor at the door.

"Follow me."

Anna had been in the room adjoining the Rotunda one other time at the beginning of the school year when the Dark Arts teacher Professor Van Dorn scolded her for yelling at her fellow Guardians about Voldemort's return. This time, however, Anna was much more fearful as to the meaning of her being called in.

"Close the door behind you, Miss Grayson."

Anna did as she was told and then came forward. The Chancellor was standing by the fire with his hand to his chin, seemingly in troubled thought.

"Anna... I was told you were assigned to detention along with a new first year Guardian earlier this year by the name of Unity Yolland. Is that correct?"

Anna was surprised again. "Nox? Ah... yes, sir. I was."

"I was told it was because the two of you were fighting."

"Well... yes, but I was only trying to break up a fight and..."

The Chancellor turned to her. "What is your relationship with the girl presently?"

"My relationship?" Anna thought. "I suppose we get along all right. She's having some issues at home that make it difficult..."

"If you're talking about her coming from a scrub village... yes... I am already aware of that fact."

"You are?"

"I also know that your father has asked Miss Valeria to visit the girl's home to confirm the story." The Chancellor shrugged. "He needn't have bothered; I can already confirm the girl is telling the truth."

Thordarson came forward. "Despite the rocky start to your relationship, I'm going to ask you to set aside whatever differences that might still exist between yourself and Miss Yolland long enough to deliver a personal message to her from me."

"A… message, sir?"

"That's right. Tell her that I expect the prompt return the Ore of Nouméa well within the deadline I have set for tomorrow."

Anna was shocked. "Nox? She… has the stone?"

"I see from your reaction that you were unaware of this fact. It pleases me to know this, Anna, because I would have been very disappointed with you otherwise. With three Guardians already expelled, we should avoid seeing another kicked out before the beginning of the term. I suspect you would agree?"

Anna frowned. "To tell you the truth, professor, had I known what the Crimson guards were doing with the stone at the time, I might have been a party to taking it as well."

Thordarson studied her carefully. "I thought you might say that and that's why I've asked to see you tonight." He turned again to the fire, waved his orbed staff, and the flames rose to warm the space between them.

"There seems to be something of a lack of priority on your part while you continue your studies here at the school, Anna. In the future, you and the rest of the Guardians will take on the monumental task of insuring the magical objects, creatures and places within the wizarding world are protected." He looked at her. "But that's well down the road. For now, it's much more important that you continue your studies here at the academy. You must take in everything offered you here by its staff and teachers. You must also learn to protect yourself and your fellow Guardians before you look to protect the things of magic. Otherwise, you risk repeating what happened today and chance expulsion at a time most critical to your training. Do you understand?"

Anna frowned. "I... I think so, Professor."

He studied her again and then came forward. "Then let me be most direct: The gravest of times are coming, Anna, and they come sooner than we thought even a few months ago. Things are not always as they might seem, so you must trust me and focus on what I tell you is important. Your lessons here at the school must take precedence over everything else. Do you understand?"

Anna looked into the fire, a storm of thoughts racing through her mind; the images of her mother, her Ally, her father, her family and the evil that was Voldemort. She looked at Thordarson again and the old wizard's stare darkened.

"Nothing is as important," he repeated, as if reading her most private thoughts.

"I can only promise to try, Professor."

"More than merely trying is necessary, Anna. Leadership is calling you. The German writer Von Goethe once said, 'A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.'" The Chancellor nodded his encouragement. "Will you delivery my message to Miss Yolland?"

"Yes, sir."

The old wizard's orb blushed and the door behind her suddenly clicked. "Then you had better rejoin your union before you miss desert. I hear the plum pudding is rather good tonight."

Anna twitched a quick smile and then turned. She opened the door and then glanced back to see the Chancellor had returned to the fire and to his deepest thoughts. He looked very worried.

FOUR

The Guardian Knight Gabriel was yelling at Nox. "I can't believe you took the stone! Are you insane? And why the hell did you leave it here in the forest?

Anna, Gwen, Gabriel were standing around the Living Ore of Nouméa just inside the edge of the Shadowed Forest as Nox stared disbelievingly up at Crimson draped hulk standing three feet above her.

"Well… I couldn't very well take it into the castle, could I?" Nox replied, still staring in astonishment at Trog who was hiding his face behind a crimson mask. She finally looked at Gabriel. "I think levitating a large stone ablaze in green flame might have brought a little unwanted attention. So… with a little _Mobili-Lapis_," she said with a wave of her wand, "I tossed it over the Searcher Tower when nobody was looking."

"It would have been better had it landed on your head." Gwen looked at Anna. "The girl's insane."

Anna looked at the stone and smiled. "You have to admit though… it was a nifty bit of magic for a first-year. I couldn't have done it."

Gabriel wasn't amused as she turned on Nox again. "What the hell were you thinking? We have to return it immediately."

"Why?" Nox countered.

"Do you want to be expelled like the others? We're already out of the running for the Chancellor's Cup because three members of our hall were kicked out."

"Who the heck cares about the Chancellor's Cup? I thought we were supposed to be protecting magical objects. Well? There's one right in front of you. So why aren't we protecting it?" Nox argued back.

"You're an idiot," Gwen replied. "The Ore was never in any danger of being extinguished. You heard what Eric said. It was just a trick to provoke a reaction from the Guardians. And you fell for it."

"Oh I fell for it… right, like I was the only one making a fuss. Seems to me half the school was yelling and screaming at the guards outside the museum."

"They were angry about the way they were treating their friends and fellow students, not because of what they were doing with the Ore!"

"Enough!" Gabriel yelled back. "We have to find a way to get this back to the museum without anybody seeing us. We need some ideas fast." They all stopped to think.

"Maybe we can cover it with something that doesn't burn?" Gwen suggested.

"Humph… good luck with that," Nox smirked, "I tried for hours trying to hide the stupid thing before finally deciding to just leave it here."

"The flame is made eternal, it is," Trog told them. "It cannot be held." He had a wanting look as he stared down at the Ore. "It would warm Trog's cave in the winter nicely, it would."

Anna smiled at him and then thought. "Maybe we should just leave a note at the museum telling them where they can find it."

Gabriel looked up at Trog and saw him shaking his head disapprovingly at her. The knight agreed.

"You don't understand — I know how the Chancellor's mind works," Gabriel answered. "He's giving us a way out of this mess, but there's clearly a lesson to be learned here as well. He said the Ore had to be returned to the museum and now it's up to us to figure out how to do that without getting caught."

"Why don't we just chuck it over the wall again?" Nox suggested, raising her wand again.

"So much for protecting it," Gwen shot back.

"We can't just throw an immensely important magical object into the streets of Spellsburg," Anna retorted. "It might get damaged."

"It could kill someone, it could," Trog added, curtly.

Gwen agreed. "Not to mention the fact that if it landed in the wrong spot, it could start a fire. Maybe even several fires if it started rolling down the street."

Nox looked at the stone burning at their feet and laughed. "It's a good thing it landed where it did out here in the snow… I guess it could have burned down the entire forest."

"You think this is funny?" Gwen said, stepping forward.

Nox straightened to face her. "Yeah, I do. What's your problem?"

"Stop it, you two. Think! We have to find a way."

Gwen looked at Anna. "Maybe we can get Eric to help us."

Anna flinched. "Are you crazy? I'm not putting my brother at risk. I don't want him thrown out of the city too."

"Come on, people, let's think through this thing," Gabriel challenged them.

Gwen dropped to her knees in front of the stone and the flames suddenly grew hotter as she leaned in. She scooped up a handful of snow and dropped it into the flames, which instantly turned to green steam.

Gwen looked up at the others. "We're in a lot of trouble here, folks. You can't even touch the stupid thing."

Anna was walking in a circle around them. "So we'll have to levitate it or hide it in something that won't burn or melt."

Gabriel heaved. "Well good luck with that. Before coming here, I stopped by the museum to read what I could about the Ore. It sits on a dirt filled pedestal because that's the only thing it won't burn. They say its flame is hot enough to melt lead."

Anna sat frustrated in the snow next to the object. She reached out to the living flames to warm her hands and watched them retreat away from her. Anna frowned as she pulled back.

"Hey… did you see that?" Gwen said, pointing at the stone.

Anna looked at her friend and then moved a pointed finger toward the emerald flames once more. The four girls watched in amazement as the flames moved to make a hole, like a mouth opening wide.

"Cool!" Nox said laughing. "It wouldn't let me near it before." She stuck out her hand toward the flames and it bloomed bright in response, spitting green sparks at her.

"OUCH — HEY!"

"Careful… you don't want to get burned by the Ore's flame. It could take years to heal," Gabriel warned them. The Knight leaned in closer to the sphere and watched the flames bloom hot in response. She looked at Anna and motioned her to try again.

Anna reached out and watched the fire react to her closeness. The green color lessened to yellow as she moved nearer to the sphere and the flames suddenly parting as if her hand were a blowing wind. She finally made contact the Ore, which felt surprisingly cool to the touch. The flames bloomed bright around the sphere and then with a soft pop they snuffed themselves out. Anna yanked back.

"Uh-oh."

"Hey… it went out!" Nox yelped in surprise.

"Oh my God," Anna replied. "What have I done?" She reached out again to poke at the sphere, but nothing happened. She slowly moved a hand over its smooth surface and closed her eyes. She could feel the magic within the object warming her fingers as a trio of voices began to sing to her.

Mind this heart of stone

That once knew love was left alone

But through your touch a landing dove

Our heart now sings this song of love

Anna smiled. The voices within the stone were angelic and their song so immensely moving that she found herself reaching out with both hands to caress the magical object.

Your heart is now open and we see the truth

The love above all that binds you to youth

Set in sadness and wanting none other

The holder of your heart remains… your mother

A single tear rolled down Anna's cheek as the voices whispered and hummed and reached out to caress her soul. Bonded in the images of love, Anna had a vision of her walking hand in hand with her mother outside the Jennings ancestral home. Victoria was smiling down at her as she stopped to hug her daughter and Anna was crying as several intruding voices began to break through the Ore's magnificent spell.

"Anna? Anna, let go."

Anna opened her eyes and found Gwen was sitting on her knees looking at her.

"Are you okay?"

Anna smiled as she pulled her hands away the stone. "Love above all that binds you to youth…" she mumbled. She looked at Gwen and then unexpectedly reached out to hug her friend.

"How did you do that?" Nox asked her, looking at the stone now sitting quiet and free of the flames surrounding it. "How did you put out the fire?"

Anna stood and looked down. She was worried. "I only touched it… the magic within speaks to the truest love within your heart. It's really quite beautiful."

Nox squatted down next to the stone, which suddenly began to sputter and pop. She tried to touch it, but the Ore swiftly erupted once more in green flames. The girl looked at Anna and frowned.

"Whelp… it looks like you'll be the one carrying the stone back to the museum."

FIVE

Later that night, the moon was full and bright. Its light poured into the streets of Spellsburg in all but the darkest places where the vermin conceal themselves to thieve their advantage. In a small corner where the moon longed to see, a man could be heard whimpering.

"Please, don't hurt me."

"Your editorials in the local newspaper make for interesting reading. You choose your words well… and use them like weapons."

The man cringed at the voice speaking to him. "If… I've done something to offend you, I'm… very sorry. It's never meant to be personal. If you let me go, perhaps I can write something to make up for it. I'll do anything…"

The voice giggled with anticipation. "Your weapons are indeed formidable." And then from out of darkness a face came forward bearing bloody fangs. "But mine are lethal."

The the man's muffled screams echoed through the darkness as his body gave way to wet teeth and cracking bones and a cloud of bats suddenly passed over the city to steal the moon.

242


	25. Chapter 23 - Too Big—Too Close

Chapter 23D07

Chapter 23 (Draft 07)

Too Big—Too Close

ONE

Ines Valeria didn't exactly know where TJ's family home was located, but from the information given to her by Boris Grayson, it was supposed to be in a remote section of South Texas near a wooded confluence of two rivers. After Apparating close enough to begin her search, she found all the expected markers: a set of menacing rapids, a shoreline of slime-covered rocks with an eerie capacity to emit a disturbing level of soundless resonance clearly meant to keep any traveling Muggles away, and a dead oak with the letter W branded into its trunk. After traversing the slippery path across the water, the Guardian found the likely big-tooth maples leaning over the colorless, drought-suffered grasses near a hardened trail. Wild marigolds were growing up through the jagged cracks, aping a path of yellow. After all the work to keep unwelcome guests away, the lines of color in an otherwise gray landscape enticed explorers with secrets that fastened themselves to the roads least traveled. Ines smiled. It reminded her of her home in Mexico.

Purple sage and prickly cactus crowded around rusted old machines that failed to break the hardened ground. The shore trees were naked of leaves, which seemed strange even in the month of January. Then she noticed the twisting vines growing out of the dirt surrounding their trunks and the Guardian frowned. The thick bands were wrapped tight around the trees like children hugging their mother's legs. She knew those straggling vines well and it explained why there were no leaves in the branches above or, for that matter, why nothing was moving within its reach.

"That's far enough, missy."

Ines turned to find a very tan, young man in his mid-twenties standing next to a horse and holding a shotgun.

"Oh, hello. My name is Ines Valeria and I'm from…"

"The Ministry of Magic?" the man surmised, showing her the dangerous end of his weapon.

Ines smiled. "If that were true then you would also know that your Muggle weapon wouldn't do you any good in a fight. For a witch would have other skills granted to her by the Creator to protect herself."

"As would any wizard, ma'am," the man replied, and that's when she saw the wand strapped to the gun's forestock.

"I take it from your knowledge of such things that you must be related to Tanya Joe Wangstaff?"

The man frowned. "Sister."

"Then you would be Johnnie Ray?"

The man finally lowered his weapon.

"I have a message for your father from Boris Grayson."

TWO

Professor Titan's voice could be heard throughout the castle. "May I have your attention please? All students and academy staff must report to the Rotunda at six o'clock this evening for dinner. Chancellor Thordarson will be making an important announcement to all residents. Again, six o'clock this evening in the Rotunda. Thank you."

"I wonder what that's about," Gwen said with a knowing smile. "Maybe he's going to thank whoever it was that returned the ore to the museum yesterday."

Anna smiled back. "Yeah… maybe; it'll be nice to get some good news for a change."

That night, the Rotunda was filled to capacity as the students debated what the expected announcement might contain. Still stinging over the expulsion of three of their fellow students, the Guardian table was very quiet. Finally, the side entrance opened and Chancellor Thordarson entered the room. Once again, he looked very somber as the students stood.

Thordarson was draped in simple robes of black that night, which lacked his customary embroidery reserved for public gatherings. He turned at the podium and then removed his dark sunglasses. He squinted up at the candles surrounding the union tables before him.

"Please… I beg you take your seats."

After the rumble of sliding benches subsided, the Chancellor continued, "It is my unfortunate duty to deliver to you some very grave news. There has been another murder in the city of Spellsburg."

There was a collective gasp from the students.

"Captain Hayman of the Crimson Guard has informed me that Mr. Chace Scroggs, the noted editor of the Spellsburg Seer, was found dead in the city this morning." The Chancellor dipped his head. "God bless his soul."

Several students turned at once to look at the Guardian table. Anna, stunned by this terrible news, was suddenly appalled to see their accusatory stare was immediately focused upon her. She could see it in their eyes, their suspicions hiding just under their flattened expressions. They were connecting her to the murder of a man who had written the most terrible things about her over the holiday. Anna's face reddened as Professor Thordarson continued.

"While there's no reason to believe our students might be at risk, the school's Board of Governors and I have been in conference to determine the best ways in which to increase the security until these crimes in the city are resolved and the perpetrators brought to justice. Your parents have been informed of the situation and all students are now required to remain in the castle until further notice. In addition, no student will be allowed to travel within the castle without an escort. A Union Knight or a senior class member will travel with any groups of two or less." He looked at all of them, his face a study of unwavering resolve.

"These are challenging times for us all. As your Chancellor, I will do all I can to insure your studies continue without interruption despite these tragic events. However, your safety must take precedence over everything else we do." His gaze scanned over the tables. "You will be kept informed about any additional restrictions as they become necessary. In the meantime, please… remain diligent to your studies and of your surroundings at all times."

He took another deep breath and then put his glasses on again. "On a happier note, I would like to thank the students who worked to return the Ore of Nouméa properly to the museum yesterday morning. Although it is still very trouble to know the circumstances surrounding why it was taken, I am gratified to see good reason has finally taken precedence and I have informed the Minister of France of this agreeable news." He turned to motion to Professor Titan who was standing at the side entrance. Titan nodded and then swerved to leave the room.

Turning his attention to the students once more, Thordarson continued. "I know the Guardians of Castlewood have taken full responsibility for what happened at the museum two days ago, however it has come to my attention that several of you have aligned themselves with the notion that the expelled Guardians have been mistreated and… by some accounts… were made part of a larger plan to reduce their numbers within the school. While I cannot condone what was done at the museum, I am pleased so many of you are willing to stand on the side of fairness. As a result, no less than one hundred students have requested permission to reenter the Mirror of Enlightenment and, as a result, three students have been added to the Guardian Union this evening."

The side entrance opened and three students entered the Rotunda all wearing Guardian robes. "We have Miss. Ann Marie Gauntlett, formally of the Artisan Union, Mr. George Sangster of the Server Union and Miss. Tamera Harlin of the Searcher Union."

There was a loud cheer within the Rotunda as the three students joined their fellow Guardians at the purple union table. Once again, their number stood at fifty.

Thordarson smiled. "Classes tomorrow will begin at their normal time, so… for now — eat, be merry, and I pray you have a restful evening."

The Chancellor left the podium and headed for the side entrance once again. He stopped to look back at the students now talking loudly among themselves, their worries and concerns for what was to come in the days ahead the topic of nearly every discussion. He looked at the Guardian table and could see the three new Guardians shaking hands within a surrounding mob of happy smiles, but Anna Grayson sat alone. Her head was down and she was staring into her lap. Even through the distance between them, the old wizard could see the academy's first Guardian was crying.

THREE

That night, Eric Grayson was tossing in his bed. Although still asleep, the part of his mind that was supposed to be at rest was being invaded by the strangest sounds.

_Click — Click — Click — Click._

Eric rolled over to face the wall as the sounds became louder.

_Click — Click — CLICK—CLICK—CLICK—CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK!_

A white fog began to brighten the darkness in his dreams. He frowned and fell onto his back again, and each increasing breath turned into cloud as the temperature in the room began to plummet. The series of clicks now turned into a steady chatter.

_CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK! _

The picture in his mind brightened again and Eric found himself sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a set of black, jagged rocks below him. Surveying his precipice of doom, he jerked back when he realized where he was, as the wind wailed in that familiar way that made his spine quiver. It was very cold, and that's when he realized the chattering sound he was hearing was from his own teeth.

"Courage Grayson," he said to himself, as he leaned forward again to look down. He saw a swirling veil of fog below him and then the howling wind began to change into that of a screaming woman. The cloudy swirls were transformed into a falling body draped in white that disappeared into the depths of nothingness. The cold wind blew into Eric's face as terror suddenly gripped his heart. The fog began to clear and when it did, he could see the body of the woman lying upon the rocks below. The waves swept over her and he watched as its splayed limbs washed back and forth in a grotesque and wrongly twisted way. He tried to scream when a second wave crashed over the body again, rolling it over twice within the bloody foam. She finally tumbled over the edge and began to sink down into the dark water; a band of pallid light swallowed whole by the depths.

The wind sent a salty spray up the cliff wall, stinging Eric's eyes where tears had formed and he forced them shut to end his pain and horror.

**_Haut les coeurs _****he whispered.**

The nightmare finally ended and Eric's mind immediately sought to retrieve a happier time. He rolled over in his sleep to face the wall again, as a woman's voice spoke to him in the darkness.

_I love you, Eric. I love you so much. _

FOUR

The next morning, the door to Chancellor Thordarson's office flew open without announcement and the old wizard looked up and smiled.

"Good evening, Minister, how very good to see you again."

Helawena Barkelnap entered the office in a hurry and was followed closely by Professor Qwaad. She finally stood in front of Thordarson's desk looking angry.

"I'm afraid the normal pleasantries must be cut short, Chancellor. I've come tonight on urgent Ministry business."

Thordarson's eyebrows lifted. "Really? Well… it must be important if the usual pleasantries between us should be set aside," he replied calmly. "How can I help you, Minister?"

She leaned over his desk. "Is it true? Have more Guardians been joined?"

Thordarson leaned back and smiled. "Why… yes… that is true."

The Minister looked astonished and then furious again. She pointed an angry finger. "This is all your doing, Elimar. You are the cause of this hooliganism!"

Thordarson's expressed never changed. "Hooliganism, Minister? To what are you referring?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. I warned you back in September that these Guardians should not be allowed to study here at the school because I had every expectation they would cause trouble both here and in the city. And I was right!" she shouted, banging her fist on the desk. "And now you've gone and created more of them!"

"I created?" The Chancellor slowly stood. "Minister, as you well know, I haven't the capability or the ambition to define for any student in what union they belong. That responsibility has always fallen to the students themselves and the Mirror of Enlightenment."

The Minister straightened. "So you admit it — more students were allowed to reenter the mirror again?"

The Chancellor remained soothing. "Yes. It would seem that more than a hundred students felt the need to do so after witnessing firsthand the overreaction by the Crimson Guard toward the Guardians at the museum." Thordarson smiled serenely. "I'm afraid the mayor's ambitions in all of this… _were_ rather transparent."

"You sound sympathetic to those who would steal from the museum, Chancellor. I hope I'm wrong in my assumption that you are on the side of this… criminal behavior."

"Indeed, that would be an incorrect assumption, madam. I have made it abundantly clear to the students that the action by the person or persons to remove the artifact from the museum's care was a violation of our code of conduct here at the academy. And… I am sure the man you placed here without my permission can attest to that fact." Thordarson pointed at Professor Qwaad standing behind her.

The Minister turned to look back at Qwaad who nodded.

"Be that as it may, Chancellor, your actions in allowing more Guardians into the school is without question a direct challenge to my stated request and expectations. How many more do we have to contend with now?"

"There are three new Guardians."

"Three?" Barkelnap looked surprised. "Exactly the number expelled? And you say more than a hundred reentered the mirror?"

"That is correct."

Thordarson was quick to notice it in the Minister's face: the startling possibility of magic's direct involvement in the actions involving the Guardians. The man quickly moved to take advantage of her lowered guard.

"Minister… surely you can see what's happening as well as I. We are not the reason or the cause of this new emergence of the Guardians within the wizarding world. The Order of Merlin has been spawn again for the same reasons they came to us in the past."

The Minister looked up at Thordarson and scowled.

"Merlin explained it himself centuries ago that the Guardians have always come in the most desperate times in wizard history to offer protection to all things magical in our warring world."

The Minister's face reddened. "WE ARE NOT AT WAR!"

"No… but we soon will be, and judging from what I've already seen this year, I believe it must come sooner than I originally expected." Thordarson reached out to Barkelnap pleadingly.

"Minister… I warn you again as I did last summer not to close your eyes to the most obvious of signs. I asked you to raise the alarm about _You-Know-Who's_ return. While we've delayed in this prudent action… it still isn't too late."

"And I repeat what I told you then: we have no more proof other than what Dumbledore and that idiot boy has told us."

"I beg you… let us not wait to see Voldemort face to face before we act. Lookat the repeating signs of his malevolence and the examples where he's delivered the same kind of malice in the past: the disappearances within the wizarding world, the unexplained weather patterns that have brought what seemingly would be the random destruction to England's cities, the indiscriminate Muggle killings without account. These are the valued signs, Minister. The very same we saw more than a decade ago when Voldemort's Death Eaters were on the move.

The Minister flinched at the name. "Rubbish! Cornelius Fudge has told me Dumbledore is off his rocker. He's become nothing more than a prattling idiot. He's a man nearly without reason and yet you trust him about something as important as this. Why — WHY?"

"Minister… when I met with Dumbledore last June, and I found him to be a man of great reason and concern for his students. He is not what Fudge would have you believe. Harry Potter's was an eye witness to the Dark Lord's rising, but this is not the only reasons I believe _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ has returned. The coming of the Guardians is just as significant. Surely you can see that."

The Minister was red in the face. "If it were up to me, the Potter boy would be expelled from Hogwarts immediately. His lies are nothing but a pathetic and conspicuous act to make himself a hero."

Thordarson shook his head. "You're wrong Minister and I tell you this with all due sincerity: Harry Potter will someday be vindicated."

Barkelnap waved him off dismissively, but as she turned away Thordarson gave Qwaad a fleeting look of significance.

Qwaad came forward to whisper into Barkelnap's ear. "Perhaps, Minister, you should meet with Dumbledore yourself," The Minister looked at him in surprise. "Despite what the newspapers are saying about both the Headmaster and the Potter boy's mental state, my contacts in London have told me Fudge is applying a significant amount of control over the press right now. It's become clear we cannot count on the _Daily Prophet_ as an independent opinion about Dumbledore's current state, but only as an extension of Fudge's personal view."

"Don't tell me you're starting to believe all this rubbish about _You-Know-Who's_ return as well, Barty?" The Minister scowled back at Thordarson. "Perhaps I've left you here too long and you've come under the Chancellor's spell of challenged reason?"

Qwaad tried to mimic the appearance of one being injured. "Minister… I am always at your disposal," he replied with a bow. His eyes looked up. "But you've always trusted my opinion in matters of importance like this in the past. I'm just trying to look out for your reputation… in case…"

"Stop it! Stop it right now! I don't believe it." She looked at the Chancellor again. "I want their names, Thordarson, the name of these new hooligans coming out of the mirror."

An hour later, the Guardians were eating breakfast in the Rotunda when TJ stepped up to the table.

"Y'all gotta come out to the entryway. Y'ain't gonna believe what's goin' on now."

Anna looked at Gwen and the two got to their feet and followed TJ to the door. As they arrived at the castle entranceway, they could see several men rolling the Mirror of Enlightenment toward the front door.

"Where are they taking the mirror?" Sarah asked worriedly. Several other students and Guardians arrived at the scene and were immediately horrified.

"What's going on? Where are you taking the Mirror of Enlightenment?"

Anna stepped in the block the men from existing. "Please, sir, what are you doing?"

"Anna Grayson!" yelled a woman's voice from the top of the stairway. Anna looked up to find the Minister of Magic standing next to Chancellor Thordarson and Professors Titan and Qwaad. "I would suggest that you and your Guardian friends step away, right now!"

Anna was taken aback but immediately obeyed as the men continued rolling the mirror toward the door. The rest of the Guardians and students were whispering in surprise as the Minister slowly came down the marble staircase and then stepped forward to face Anna directly.

"How dare you get in the way of Ministry business… and what gall you have to do so while in my presence."

Anna dropped her head. "I didn't realize you were here, Minister. I meant no disrespect. I only wanted to know… why you're removing the mirror." She looked up at her aunt. "Why?"

"That's no concern of yours, young lady." The Minister looked around at the Guardians surrounding her and smirked. "It should suffice to know that I've decided it should be done."

"You've decided?" Anna shot back. "So this wasn't the school's decision; it's your doing. Why?"

"They're doing it because of the new Guardians," whispered a seventh year Defender behind her.

Anna frowned and then scowled back up at the Minister. "He's right, isn't he? You're doing this to keep more Guardians from entering the school."

Helawena Barkelnap tried to force a smile as she stepped forward. "My dear niece… I think it would be in your best interest… both now and in the future, if you left the Guardian Union and joined the Defenders."

"Join the Defenders? Why would I do that?"

"Because… I believe it's the very best place to be for an ambitious, young lady like yourself to be. Your Grandmother and I were both Defenders and… so were our parents. Not to worry, dear. I am sure that if you decided to move both your father and the Chancellor would support you."

Anna looked up at the Chancellor who was still standing at the top of the staircase. The old wizard's seemed impassive to the idea. He slowly raised his chin and that's when she saw the slightest wink. Anna smiled.

"No thank you, ma'am. I arrived at this school a Guardian… and I'll be a Guardian for the rest of my life."

"No… sweetheart, that's where you're confused. You see, you didn't arrive here a Guardian in the way you've been led to believe. The Mirror of Enlightenment has misinformed you. We have determined there is something wrong with the spells that control the mirror's actions. That's why we're taking it away. We want to insure it receives the greatest care and…." she hesitated, as if to choose her words properly, "make sure it's fixed properly."

"Fixed! What are you talking about? There's nothing at all wrong with the Mirror of Enlightenment. Just because you don't like what it says doesn't mean it's broken. That's ridiculous!"

"Your tone is trying my patience, young lady. Remember your father's devotions," the Minister replied harshly. She paused to force another smile.

"You must understand, my child, that you have only come to believe the legend of the Guardians because of this magical object, but I'm telling you now the mirror is flawed. Thus, it's easy to see how you and the rest of the Guardians were simply confused and…"

Anna interrupted her. "I was born a Guardian!"

Suddenly, Anna could hear them once again; the voices of magic within the castle walls pouring themselves forward into her mind. They called out in unison by the hundreds, cheering and applauding in all the languages alive and dead to the wizarding world. There was a loud clang in the hallways throughout the castle as empty suits of armor hoisted a snapped salute, and those images made of marble standing and seated throughout the school raised a hand to their hearts. The voices were zooming in and out of Anna's mind like a storm, a chorus of pride and song, and young Guardian closed her eyes and smiled into the ceilings in awed wonder before setting her focus upon Thordarson at the top of the stairs. Although nobody else in the entranceway could seem to hear them, it was clear the Chancellor of Castlewood could attest to their ballad of joy. He too was marveling at their response to Anna's declaration, which was repeated over and over again in beautiful song all around them. He looked down at her and smiled broadly.

The Minister's face fell. "Nonsense! You are no more born a Guardian than a Bowtruckle. You're just muddled, child."

A moment later, a frightened shriek and several screams could be heard outside as the men pushed the Mirror of Enlightenment through the entranceway door. A gust of hot wind suddenly blew the castle doors wide against their stops and several students could be seen running back and forth outside in a panic.

"What in the wizarding world…" the Minister mumbled, looking back at the Crimson Guards escorting her. They moved quickly to the doors with Anna and several others following close behind. They stepped onto the stone landing overlooking the courtyard where they saw dozens of students and even a few teachers running for cover. They were looking up and pointing into the sky.

"Oh dear," Thordarson said worriedly, suddenly appearing by the Minister's side.

The Minister looked up into the fog and tried to shield her eyes from the morning sun just cresting over the castle walls. "What is it? What are they screaming about?"

Just then a large metal object fell from the sky and crashed with a hideous clang in the center of the grassy courtyard. They all stepped forward to look closer and could see it was the flying jail used to arrest the Guardians at the museum. This time it was only a crushed and crumpled version of its original self, barely recognizable other than by its bared door, which was trampled and torn inside out. The monstrosity squeaked and trembled as it tried without success to unfurl its badly twisted wings.

"What in heaven's name?" The Minister whispered, before a huge dragon suddenly crashed down upon one of the turrets to the side of the portcullis. It shook its massive head before screeching loudly down at the humans running below her. Without warning, a second dragon slammed down upon the turret opposite and large boulders tumbled like rain down from its top to land inside with a shuddering thud to block the gate.

"Wands!" The Minister cried out, as the students below continued to scream and run.

Only one student remained in the courtyard below. The young girl, staring in wide-eyed wonder at the howling creatures above her. It was Tanya Joe Wangstaff.

"Move, child! Run for your life now!" yelled one of the Crimson guards.

TJ slowed turned to look back at her fellow Guardians standing on the landing. She seemed dazed but unafraid. She smiled unexpectedly.

"Ain't they… beautiful?" she said in wonderment.

Anna anxiously stepped forward. She tried to speak, but found her terror wouldn't allow it. She tried to clear her throat.

"Yes… they're ah… very pretty, TJ… but you might be a little too close. Why don't you come over here and…" but before Anna could finish her thought, one of the dragons suddenly leapt down from the turret and slammed into the courtyard above the young girl and the entire castle seemed to wobble on its foundation in response.

Again, TJ didn't move. She stared up in what seemed to be marveled amazement at the creature looming a full twenty feet above her. The creature slowly leaned down and growled ominously, its dripping fangs now just inches from the Guardian's face.

"It's going to strike!" said one of the guards, raising his wand to take aim.

"No! Don't, you fool!" the Minister said, grabbing his hand. "She's too close."

"For the first time in a very long time, Minister, you and I are in full agreement," Thordarson said fearfully. "Everybody please… stay exactly where you are. Make no sudden moves of any kind."

The creature bumped and nudged the Guardian with her nose as it sniffed her over again and again. TJ's eyes were closed tight and everybody could see she was visibly shaking with fear as the dragon turned its head sideways to inspect the back of her. It seemed to give some attention to the purple hash marks on the sleeves of her robes before rising up. It opened its mouth wide and then tilted back to bellow loudly. TJ was blown backward as the rest of the students covered their ears in pain and horror. The dragon unfurled its wings and then leapt into the air. With two mighty flaps, the creature rose high before swooping above the courtyard and then over the wall, knocking over three full rows of mortared stones with its great wings as it passed. Several hexes and spells were suddenly chasing after the beast as a number of Crimson Guards on doors flew in from out of nowhere to pursue her.

The remaining dragon crouching atop the portcullis tower screamed angrily as one of the hexes slammed into her chest. She leapt forward to unfold her enormous, bat-like wings and with three quick flaps she was heading for the castle landing and the crowd dove for cover as the beast's claws reached down. There was a loud crash and the dragon rose up again to follow her sister over the wall with the Mirror of Enlightenment dangling below in her clutches.

Professor Thordarson was helping the Minister of Magic to her feet. "It would seem, Minister, we have an unlikely alliance of wills." He looked into the sky. "Apparently, some magical creatures are in agreement with the Guardians that the mirror should not be taken. Surely now you can see the creation of the Guardians was not my doing?"

The Minister looked up to see Anna and a number of other students racing down to TJ who was still lying on her back in the grass. Barkelnap looked up at the sky around them for the missing Mirror of Enlightenment. "It doesn't seem to matter now anyway, does it?"

"TJ! Are you all right?" Anna was helping her fellow Guardian to sit up.

"Too… close…." TJ said, trembling uncontrollably. She looked up at Anna, her face spattered in green and yellow colored goo. "Way… way too close…"

"Eeeww… she's all covered in dragon spit," Gwen moaned. She pulled out her wand. "Let's get her cleaned up before it burns her."

"Big… really big," TJ mumbled slowly. "Way… too close."

FIVE

Two days later, Eric was watching Anna closely. "Are you okay?"

Anna looked up at her brother and shrugged. "Yeah… I guess so. It's just been pretty horrible in class these days with everybody eyeing me like I was some kind of secret killer."

Eric was concerned for his sister. After the death of the newspaper's editor, he had also overheard several conversations in the city about Anna becoming a suspect. John Dell and Captain Hayman were sitting across the table from them in Eric's flat.

Hayman leaned in. "We're doing all we can to find out who's responsible for these murders, and I've been giving enough information to the mayor and the press to turn their attention away from you and all the students in the castle."

"We really appreciate what you're doing, John," Eric replied. "So… do you have any real leads?"

Hayman's face fell. "No… nothing more than before the holiday. We know now that Sidney Heidelbach was attacked in another location first before being killed nearer to the castle."

"How does that help us?"

"We found some blood evidence at a second site, enough to confirm he was attacked soon after he left Anna and Trog that night. Anna was with the ogre for at least thirty minutes after she and Heidelbach parted ways, so she couldn't have done it. It's not enough to clear Anna of all suspicion, but it's a start."

"Why wouldn't it be enough?" John asked. "Trog could tell everybody Anna was with him."

Hayman shook his head. "Ogres are not trusted enough in the wizarding world to act as a witness." John tried to argue back, but Hayman stopped him. "I'm not saying this kind of bigotry isn't irrational … I'm just telling you how it is. If I went out and told everybody that Anna was with an ogre, even one entrusted by the Crimson Guard, it would only increase their suspicions." He looked at Anna. "And it might incriminate Trog as well."

John threw up his hands. "Of all the idiotic…"

"In the meantime, I wanted to bring us together tonight to set in place some additional security for you, Anna," Hayman continued. He looked at John Dell and gave him an encouraging nod.

John sighed is frustration at the thought of Trog being untrusted and then set a wooden box in the center of the table between them. It was the same box Thordarson had given to him.

"Anna… this box contains some magical objects that will immediately bring help to you in the event you ever find it necessary." John opened to the box to reveal a pair jade bracelets sitting in red velvet.

Anna reached in to remove one of the bracelets. Its color was a highly polished green with white swirls that seemed to tremble at her touch. "Oh, they're very pretty, John. Where did you get them?"

"The Chancellor let me barrow them in my first year. They allowed me to visit my sick mother while I was at school."

Anna's expression feel.

"I know your mother passed away that year, John," Eric replied, sadly. "Isn't that right?"

John sniffed. "Yes. My mother was never a healthy woman, even before I came to Castlewood. In fact, I put off coming to school for nearly three years because I had to take care of her and Professor Thordarson would often come to visit us. He knew my mother when she was a student here at the school and because he was trying to talk me into coming to Castlewood despite my mother's illness." He let out a shuddered heave. "I refused to leave my mother's side.

"Finally… my mother insisted that I go. She believed my magical studies would allow me to care of myself after she…" he stopped to sniff again, the pain of his mother's memory still very painful for him to describe. "I agreed to go to school but quickly returned to her bedside within a month. She was very sick and her health had taken a very bad turn."

Anna's heart fell even as the voices within the jade bracelet began to sing to her.

"The next day the Chancellor showed up at our door to insist I return to my studies, but I refused. That's when he gave me the bracelets. He put one on my mother's wrist and the other…" John removed the remaining bracelet from the box and, being that it was far too small to fit on his wrist, he slid it onto the middle finger of his right hand. He stroked the jade lovingly, as if listening for mother's voice to call to him. He cooed something under his breath as he turned the object on his finger again and again.

Anna gave her brother a significant look.

"What do the bracelets do, JD?" Eric asked him, setting a supporting hand on his friend's shoulder.

John seemed to catch himself. "Oh… sorry." He sniffed again. "I guess the best way to explain it is to show you." He stood quickly and the room seemed to shrink in fear of his size. "When I'm out of sight, I want you to take hold of the bracelet and ask that I come to you. It might take you a while to get it to work, so I'll go and take a walk outside."

Anna frowned suspiciously. "Okay… so I concentrate… and then ask that you come to me?"

"Hold the bracelet tight… that seems to help," John explained, as he opened the door and left the room. Eric and Hayman looked amused as they listened to the staircase groan under John's heavy footfalls thudding down the steps.

Anna was already clutching the bracelet on her wrist with her eyes closed and listening to the chanting voices within her mind.

_You wait for the other, call to him._

_Through all the distance in the world created, call to him._

_Summon with your voice, as if always within your reach, call to him._

_Where the sun touches the sea and the heavens the earth, call to him._

_Within the darkness, the sunrise, noontime and twilight, call to him_

_Come to me, oh come to me, do come to me._

Anna's eyes were still closed as she smiled and her lips parted to whisper, "John… please… do come to me."

From under the door to the hallway, there was a flash of light and then another flash to Anna's right. Suddenly, John Dell was standing tall in the room once more. He looked surprised as he looked down at her and then he smiled.

"Well… that didn't take you very long. I didn't even make it to the bottom of the steps!"

Anna's eyes were wide with shock. She looked at Eric and Hayman and the two men immediately laughed.

"By goodness… a port key? The bracelets are a port key?" Eric said in amazement.

"Yes," John Dell said, smiling back at them. "They allowed me to leave the plateau and go to my mother if ever she needed me. If ever…" his voice stumbled.

Eric stood. "I'm sorry about your mother, John. I know those were very difficult times for you."

John sniffed and looked down at his friend. "The Chancellor is a very great man. His gift will allow me to go to Anna if ever we're apart and she finds herself in danger." He looked down at Anna and forced a smile. "And I will do all I can to protect you."

The room was silent as the four of them fell into their own thoughts. Finally, it was Hayman who said, "Anna… I hope you understand what John is offering you. You must promise… never to knowingly put yourself in danger by trading caution for carelessness. Doing so unthinkingly would put more than yourself at risk."

Anna slowly stood. "I… don't know what to say, John," she whispered gratefully, and then reached out and hugged the man around his very large middle. "Thank you."

242


	26. Chapter 24 - Escape from Azkaban

Chapter 24D08

Chapter 24 (Draft 08)

Escape from Azkaban

ONE

It was unusually cold in the Pennsylvania Mountains that January. The snow and ice had finished its creeping invasion of the city to become a permanent resident in the streets of Spellsburg. The freezing winds whipped through the streets, giving the city its howling winter voice. The alleyways and lanes moaned and the shudders rattled as the smell of burning wood from numerous fires filled the air. The sun retreated early in the evening and rose hesitantly in the morning. It only added to the gloom Anna felt in her heart.

The news of Chace Scroggs' murder came as a dark cloud over the despair already given to Anna's missing ally and the loss of the Verosapt. It was obvious most of the students of Castlewood had read or heard about the editorials written about Anna during the Christmas break and the implications connecting her to the murders of Sidney and Michael Wendell as well. While it might have been possible that a majority of the students really didn't believed Anna was responsible for the murders, most were as curious to see Anna's reaction to the allegations as they would any good drama written especially for their entertainment. Unfortunately, the newspaper editor's murder happened before Anna could respond to the indignity given her name and reputation. To make matters worse, Scroggs had been murdered on the very day Anna Grayson had returned to Spellsburg. It was more than just a bad coincidence for Castlewood's first Guardian. For those whispering suspiciously behind her back, it only seemed to confirm something might have changed in their minds as well. Amusement had suddenly been shoved aside and replaced with distrust and for some… maybe even a little fear.

Gabriel was leaning against the wall reading a copy of the Spellsburg Seer and frowning at the letters submitted to the editor's column about Anna Grayson. It would seem there was an increasing belief that Anna had now been a party in some way to the gruesome murder of three people. Gabriel also noticed another article reporting an unexpected run on the Spellsburg bank. It would seem some of the city's residents thought it prudent to withdraw their gold entirely.

_Perhaps they're thinking about leaving the plateau, _Gabriel thought, supportively. Although sympathetic to the Grayson family during this time of increasing scrutiny, the Guardian Knight understood why some residents would think about leaving. Now with three unsolved murders in the city… _who could blame them?_

Although she was never given to wonder about Anna's part in the murders, Gabriel was watching Anna very closely. The Guardian Knight could clearly see the girl's pain. Anna was somber and rarely looked up as she traveled through the castle to her classes. She clutched her books tight to her chest and stared down at her feet as she passed by those murmuring around her. The Knight frowned. She had been expected this before their return to Spellsburg.

Even before Chancellor Thordarson had delivered the ghastly news about the editor's murder, Gabriel's old friend John Dell had pulled her aside to warn her of the news and of Anna's expected withdraw in response. She had also received an owl from Ines Valeria, telling her of the mission given to them by Anna's father, Mister Grayson. Both John and Ines wanted Gabriel's help.

From the very beginning, Gabriel had always believed there was something different about Anna Grayson. More than her becoming the Academy's first Guardian, the voices within the Mirror of Enlightenment had told her that she, Gabriel, was going to carry the banner for magic's cause and follow the _first_, what it called the _Sithmaith_, for protection's sake, but the mirror had said something more:

"_You will continue in the Order of those we sent in centuries past. The magic surrounding you seeks your protection from the destruction of those who would destroy all in their fight. But the Sithmaith is young and vulnerable and altered apart from what we helped to bring about at her birth. You must protect her as you would us from the ravages of chaos. And to it — be warned: The Dark Lord is gathering strength and so too are his minions in hiding everywhere. Fear it not, for you are with us and we within you, and together we shall turn chaos into harmony once more. Go now, Guardian. Go… and be vigilant!"_

Thinking back again, Gabriel recalled Anna coming out of the Mirror of Enlightenment before the founding of the Guardian Union. That was a terrifying event and she would never forget seeing Anna's body engulfed in those horrible purple flames. But the mirror had said something else that night that Gabriel would always remember: 'She is… A GUARDIAN! SITHMAITH! Only those willing to sacrifice much may serve under this banner! But she is unprepared… you must… help her.' From that moment on, Gabriel knew… Anna Grayson was what the mirror had called the _Sithmaith_, the future leader of the Guardians just as Merlin had been so many centuries ago.

Gabriel thought the argument between John Baird and Anna that first night in the Rotunda when the students had returned after the summer holiday. They argued about the possibility that _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be Named_ had somehow returned, and it was then that Gabriel understood that the Mirror of Enlightenment hadn't shared the same information with all the Guardians. When she had reentered the mirror almost exactly one year ago, the enchanted object already knew of Voldemort's impending return. It said then, _'He and his __minions __were gathering strength'_. That was nearly ten months before the announcement by Professor Thordarson confirming the evil wizard's return.

Dumbledore and Thordarson knew it was true then, and Anna Grayson knew it before them, and the Mirror of Enlightenment knew it before her.

Gabriel watched Anna as she passed by in a cloud of gloom. She frowned; the girl didn't notice the Guardian Knight or the whispers that followed her.

"Anna?"

Anna turned and Gabriel could see the girl struggling to smile.

"Oh… hi, Gabriel. I didn't see you there. Uh… Happy New Year."

The Knight came forward. "And to you — how was your Christmas?"

"Oh it was good, and you?"

"Wonderful, as always." The Knight looked around covertly. "Can I speak with you in private?"

Anna frowned. "Sure. Is everything all right?"

Gabriel took Anna by the shoulder and turned her down the corridor. She looked back at a group of whispering girls and frowned. "Shouldn't you be heading to your next class?" she growled. The girls looked surprised and then turned and headed the other way.

Gabriel spied Anna again who looked worried. "Never mind them. There's always something they need to buzz about in this place. It's just your turn in the hopper, that's all. If it wasn't you… it would be somebody else."

Anna tried to smile again.

"Listen, Anna. I got an owl from Ines Valeria about her new duties and those of John Dell under your father. I've also been in contact with Lieutenant Dunning about the extra security arrangements on your behalf and I wanted you to know I'll be informing the rest of the Knights about these arrangements tonight."

Anna was surprised. "Oh…?"

"I just wanted you to know who's been informed, so you'll know who you can reach out to if the need should arise." She could see Anna seemed uncomfortable. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just didn't realize this was going to be such a big deal."

Gabriel motioned her forward.

"Listen, Anna. I know it's been tough on you coming back to the awful news about the editor's murder, especially after all his ranting about you and the ongoing investigations in Spellsburg." She pointed down at her. "But you should know straight away that everybody who really knows you also knows you didn't have anything at all to do with those crimes." She could immediately see Anna's eyes beginning to tear. "Do you understand me? We all know you're innocent."

Anna slowly reached out and, without saying another word, she hugged the girl. "Thank you, Gabriel. You have no idea what that means to me." Gabriel smiled and hugged her back.

"We've got to stick together, Anna. It's bad enough the Guardians are always set apart from the others in this school because of Qwaad's ridiculous classes, but within the union we have to remain strong." She could feel Anna's head nodding on her chest and Gabriel pushed her back to smooth her hair.

"Two more things: First – I'm calling a meeting of all the Guardians tonight in the Union Hall and it's imperative that you be there."

Anna sniffed. "What's the meeting about?"

"Don't worry about that right now. I'll explain when we're together. Just make sure you're there, all right?"

"Okay."

"Second thing:" Gabriel looked around cautiously and then whispered, "There are rumors about who it was that hexed that Crimson guard at the museum." She lowered her voice again. "There are those who say… that it was Nox."

"What?" Anna looked around to insure nobody else could hear them. "It isn't true, is it?"

"It doesn't matter. We don't need any extra attention right now and I don't want another Guardian expelled, especially now that the Mirror of Enlightenment has been taken from the school. I've been asking those I trust from the other unions to start scattering some false possibilities — other union members they thought they saw hexing the guard. It would seem they were rather eager to help us, given the rough treatment they saw in the guards at the museum. I want to spread the blame around to keep the focus off of Nox."

"Okay… so how can I help?"

"You're the only one that Nox seems to show any respect, so I want you to keep her out of trouble. Warn her that the guards suspect her and if she gets a chance to deny it in public, she should do so adamantly." Gabriel suddenly looked frustrated. "Given the chance, I get the feeling her rather charming disposition wouldn't allow her to renounce the accusation otherwise, so I want you to keep that idiot under control, okay?"

"I'll do what I can, but I don't know that she'll listen to me." Gabriel glared at her and Anna immediately relented. "But… I'll talk to her; I don't think she's stupid enough take credit for doing something like that anyway."

Gabriel huffed and looked angry. "You give her too much credit. She's thick enough to put us all at risk."

Anna frowned. "You… don't believe…" she hesitated. "I mean… you don't think Nox actually hexed that guard, do you?"

Gabriel looked around guardedly again before angrily whispering, "With my own eyes!"

Anna was stunned. "No! She couldn't have!"

Gabriel grabbed Anna by the arm and walked her forward. "And you tell that little maniac I wasn't the only one who saw her do it either." She jerked Anna's arm again. "You tell her she's to deny it if ever she's confronted."

The Knight released Anna and began to back away. "Although she doesn't deserve it, I'm trying to keep that lunatic from being expelled." Gabriel glared pointed back at her. "You tell her!"

TWO

Another hex slammed into a boulder near Anna and Gwen's head. Gwen flinched and then cursed under her breath. She looked over at Anna.

"Whelp… here we are again getting our butts handed to us by the Defenders." Another blast smashed above them. "My God! I think they're trying to kill us!"

The Dueling Hall was echoing to the sounds of several hexes and curses flying across the sand from one side to the other. Anna quickly rose up.

"_Protego!"_

A shield of light suddenly appeared in front of a hex from a rushing Defender boy. The hex rebounded and hit the boy in the arm, sending his wand flying.

Gwen whipped around and took aim. _"Exomento!"_

The boy was hit again and suddenly fell to the ground holding his buttocks. The crowd groaned.

Anna looked at Gwen and frowned. "That's gross!"

Gwen smiled. "Nothing like a good poo-hex to slow'em down."

"Great shot, Gwen!" Gabriel yelled over from another hiding place to their right. She was smiling over at them. "I took out Debbie Dunning from the back row, so we finally have the advantage. It's only Damon and Andrew Thomas." Another blast hit her hiding place.

"That was Damon." Anna groaned with a wince.

Gwen was ducking low. "How do you know?"

Another blast smashed above them and Anna looked livid. "Trust me… that's him," she snarled. "It's time to get aggressive." Anna suddenly stood upright and quickly scanned the field in front of her. "One on the left, one on the right," she yelled out before running forward.

"Anna, wait! Don't be foolish! This is our chance to…." Gabriel tried to yell, but it was too late. Anna was already pressing their advantage and sending hex after hex at the Defenders in front of her. Andrew Thomas suddenly rose up and fired at Anna who dove to the side to fire back. Gwen was moving forward as well as Damon stood. Gabriel fired at Damon, missed and then ducked as Damon returned. The Guardians were pressing forward as the crowd cheered and yelled out their warnings. Thomas fired at Anna again who was still in the open and Gwen hit him full in the chest will a well-placed hex that sent him flying backward.

"Gotcha!" Gwen yelled out before Damon hit her with a spell that turned her legs to rubber. He fired again and Gwen was down. Gabriel returned as Anna circled left to take her brother's flank and the crowd cheered even louder. Suddenly, Gabriel was hit and as Anna looked behind her, she could see the Guardian Knight falling stiffly onto her back. She had been petrified.

Anna sneered as she fired at Damon again and again, and the crowd roared as the brother and sister flew into battle. They stood face to face, hexing and blocking spell after spell, and if anyone watching felt the Graysons might go easy on one another, those assumptions were quickly swept away as Damon continued to fire one spell after another to maximize the painful effect on his sibling.

Anna lunged behind another boulder as a well placed hex from Damon hit her on the foot. She crawled quickly out of sight just below another hex that barely missed her. She looked down and saw Debbie Dunning face up on her back She looked stiff as a board. Anna smiled evilly.

"Hello, Deb. How's the sand down there?" Another blast smashed into the stone hiding her, as the voices of magic deep within her mind cried out their warning again and again. Anna was rubbing her numb foot, but could feel her brother's footsteps approaching. He was pressing forward, looking to surprise her.

Anna dove to the side and pointed her wand at her brother, but Damon was quick.

"_Expelliarmus__!" _the two Graysons shouted simultaneously and their wands where suddenly jerked out of their hands. Damon and Anna were immediately lifted off of their feet and suspended there as their wands fell to the sand and began to hiss forth a bloody colored ribbon. Damon and Anna glared at each other, trying to understand what was happening as the crowd began to scream.

"Jinx!" "Jinx!" "Jinx!"

Damon's eyes widened as comprehension suddenly hit him. _"JINX!"_ the boy yelled, and he was immediately dropped onto the sand again before the spells placed on the castle transported the two of them into the moat outside.

"_Jinx!"_ Anna dropped onto her feet again.

They both looked back at their wands. The red ribbons began to emit a hideous screech as they turned toward their owners. A crawled hand streaked through the air at Damon who leapt to the side to get away. The hand shot over his head and into the standing crowd and everybody ducked low as the flying hand immediately turned and raced back toward Damon again.

A second ribbon left Anna's wand and began racing its way toward the Guardian. Anna fell backward onto the sand as the hand shot over her head, just missing her. It quickly turned as Anna scrambled backward up against a boulder. She tried reaching for her wand but it was too late; the clawed hand was nearly on her.

"No!" Anna screamed, as she raised her hands to protect her face. She closed her eyes and turned away, expecting the jinx to slam itself across onto her mouth. She waited… and waited… but nothing happened. The Guardian slowly opened her eyes to find the bloody claw frozen in mid-air just a few inches from her face. It was straining to reach for her and a mouth full of snapping teeth howled angrily from the center of the palm. There was something of a transparent shield the Guardian had unknowingly conjured between it and herself. The claw opened wide to bury its sharp nails into the shield holding it back and screeched madly again as it pressed in closer. Anna could hear the shield giving off soft popping sounds under the pressure. She growled back at the thing and as it opened wide to dig in again and Anna could see a blacked brand above the howling mouth. It looked like to letters: CC.

Damon dove to the side again as the other ribbon tried to grab him once more. He snatched up his wand from out of the sand and then whipped around to point at the thing racing back to him.

"_Finite__ Chirotha!" _he yelled, and the claw screeched its last before instantly evaporated in a cloud of bloody ash. The crowd cheered as Damon looked around and frowned. He could see his sister holding back the ribbon with empty hands as her wand lay several feet away from her.

Anna watched in horror as tiny cracks began to appear in her shield . She began pushing her hands out, concentrating hard to press the claw back.

"_Finite__ Chirotha!" _she whispered, and the thing suddenly shrieked and then vanished in a puff of red smoke. The shield fell away and Anna slumped to the side in relief.

The crowd stood stunned at what they had seen, and in the lull Anna could suddenly hear the voices of magic shouting into her head from the stones in her back.

"_Defend yourself, Sithmaith!" _

The Guardian jerked up to see Damon rushing forward; a sinister smile was carved into his face as he raised his wand at her.

The voices of magic were frantic as they shouted their warning into Anna's mind; she didn't need them to know her brother's hex was coming.

Instinct immediately took hold as Anna raised an empty hand again and shouted, _"Incursiosultus!"_

A bright flash of purple exploded forward and struck Damon in the chest. Her brother flew backward across the entire length of the pit and slammed into the portrait overseer on the other side. The Dueling Hall was stunned into silence.

Anna was still on her knees in the sand, her empty palms outstretched and looking shocked at the sight of Damon lying unconscious and defeated across the hall. She lowered her hands and slowly stood. Realizing what she had done, she ran across the hall and fell next to her brother. She could see his robes were still smoking form the blast. She rolled him over to look down at him and was relieved to see him grimace.

Damon was dazed as he looked up at his sister, and for the first time in his life he understood something completely unexpected. The blast that had sent him reeling had been extremely powerful and yet, deep down even in that moment of humility and pain, he quickly understood one truth: What he experienced was only a fraction of what Anna could bring to battle. The helpless family squib was suddenly so much more than he ever thought possible. This realization brought something completely unguarded in his response to his sister's concerns for him. Damon blinked hard to clear his vision and then smiled. He groaned as he tried to rise up and the crowd began to cheer.

"Nice shot," he whispered.

"Are you all right?" she replied concernedly.

Damon sat up to inspect his body and robes. "Everything seems to be in working order. Get me up."

She did and when her brother was standing once more, the crowd began to clap in satisfied relief.

"The Guardians are victorious!" Professor Bots announced and the students watching the battle started to applaud even louder.

The spells holding the other Defenders and Guardians where immediately set aside and soon the embattled were on their feet and helping each other to stand. Gabriel and another seventh year Guardian Joseph Philias hadn't seen what Anna had done to mark their union's first win against the undefeated Defenders, but that didn't seem to matter as they hoisted Anna off her feet in jubilation and triumph.

Soon Gwen joined them as well, looking very sore, but delighted at their victory. "Anna, we won! We won! I can't believe it," she shouted, happily.

Anna finally smiled while the crowd continued to cheer. As Joseph put Anna on her feet again and thumped her on the back, she noticed Doctor Pearl had suddenly appeared to tend to her brother burns and broken pride. She watched Pearl set Damon back down against the wall below the overseer who was trying to communicate what had happened even as the crowd continued to cheer.

"How did you defeat him?" Gabriel asked her, but Anna was looking at Professor Bots and Lieutenant Dunning who were spying something unusual in the sand as Professor Qwaad stood over them.

Anna pushed through her teammates to see what they were studying and that's when she saw it too; a river of purple, running like a stream of water from where she had been kneeling when she blasted her brother off his feet to where he had landed in defeat behind her.

Gabriel knelt down to examine the shiny substance running down the center of the hall. She tapped on it to confirm it was solid and then looked up at them.

"It's glass. The sand… it's been turned to glass."

THREE

"The Spellsburg Seer – January 14th /News from overseas:

London - "The Daily Profit is reporting the escape of ten Death Eaters from Azkaban prison yesterday. England's Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, made the following statement today: '_We have confirmed that ten high-security prisoners, in the early hours of yesterday evening, did escape. And of course, the Muggle Prime Minister has been alerted to the danger. We strongly suspect that the breakout was engineered by a man with personal experience in escaping from Azkaban; notorious mass murderer Sirius Black, cousin of the escapee Bellatrix Lestrange._'

"The Profit also reported the names of several other escapees, including Antonin Dolohov, Bellatrix Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Augustus Rookwood and five others.

"This news comes at a most inopportune time in the wizarding world and on the heels of the prisoner escape from Drogo prison back in June. This together with the three as of yet unsolved murders in Spellsburg has put the city on high security alert."

Anna lowered the newspaper to look at Gwen and Sarah Bell across the dinner table. "This has to be _You-Know-Who's _doing," she told them worriedly. "Maybe now the Ministry will do something about him."

"Do you really think _You-Know-Who_ broke all those Death Eaters out of Azkaban?" Gwen looked mortified at the idea of it.

Anna looked around cautiously and then leaned in. "Yeah, I do. Who else could have done it?"

"What about that other prisoner they mentioned who escaped two years ago… that Sirius Black guy? The Minister of England says they suspect him."

"Excuse me," Sarah broke in timidly, looking at Gwen. "You said something about Azkaban last year. Is this Azkaban a really bad place?" she asked.

Gwen looked surprised "A bad place? It's the worst place you can go if you're a wizard."

Anna frowned. Being that she had already seen the darkest corners of Drogo prison, she wasn't so sure Azkaban could be worse.

"Have you ever heard of the Dementors?" Gwen asked them.

Sarah looked a little frightened and then sorry she had asked the question.

Anna frowned. "Dementors? Who are the Dementors?"

Gwen looked surprised. "You're kidding me? You mean to tell me you've never heard about the Dementors of Azkaban?" Anna shook her head.

Gwen leaned in and whispered, "The Dementors are really foul creatures that guard the prisoners there. My dad told me about them once. He even visited Azkaban and saw them when he worked for the Ministry. He said they looked like rotting corpses, floating around like ghosts in their death shrouds. They keep all the prisoners extremely weak by placing them into a perpetual state of misery, depression and gloom." She swallowed hard. "They actually feed on their happiness; not that they would have all that much happiness living in a place like Azkaban prison. My dad had to take the next day off from work to recover himself after visiting the place."

"Oh my… it sounds really awful," Sarah lamented.

"Oh it is, and that's why only the really, really bad wizards are permanently sent there.

"And only somebody as powerful as _You-Know-Who_ could break them out," Anna added.

Gwen nodded, "Yeah… maybe." She quickly changed the subject. "We have to go to Gabriel's meeting. You ready?"

Anna stood. "Do you have any idea what this meeting is about?"

"Yeah, I do, but she told me not to say."

Anna frowned. "What? Why not?"

"She just told me to make sure you were there."

Anna looked at Sarah who nodded. "S…She t…t…told me the s… same thing, Anna," her voice stumbled.

FOUR

The three girls headed for the Guardian Hall.

"Why can't you tell me what's going on? Is it about me?"

Gwen looked at Sarah and then back again. "Anna… this meeting is going be kind of uncomfortable for you and that's why Gabriel didn't want us to tell you anything about it."

Anna stopped to stare back at her. "Am I in trouble?"

"No — no, absolutely not. In fact…I think this is a good thing… really."

"So why can't you tell me?"

"Because we prom… p… p… promised Gabriel that we wo… woo…wouldn't," Sarah added, worriedly.

When they arrived in the Guardian Hall, it was obvious to Anna that every Guardian in the school was there. Some were standing in small circles and talking, while the others sat in very comfortable looking couches and chairs. When Gabriel saw them arrive, she stood.

"All right everybody, quiet down." The room immediately fell silent. "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight. We're still waiting for a few others to arrive… so let me start by saying…"

Suddenly, the doors opened once again and three others entered the room.

"Oh good, you got my message. Excellent! Except for the first-years, I think everybody remembers our graduated seventh-year Guardians from last year. This is John Dell, Ines Valeria and Eric Grayson. They were members of the original fifty Guardians. And before you eggs ask… and in case you didn't already know… Professor Grayson is Anna Grayson's brother." The first years in the group smiled and nodded.

"The reason I've brought everybody here tonight is because I wanted to discuss our future leadership." Gabriel looked around the room. "And just to be clear, I'm not talking about our leadership here at Castlewood; I'm talking about after we leave this place."

Anna was immediately nervous. She looked over and found her brother, Ines and John Dell staring back at her.

"We've all heard about the escape of the Death Eaters from Azkaban prison." Gabriel surveyed the crowd to insure everybody knew what she was talking about and then quickly moved on.

"Now… there are a few of us here who not only believe _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ has returned but that he's probably the one directly responsible for the escapes." Gabriel could immediately see the skepticism rising within the room. "By a show of hands… how many of you are certain you were personnally warned about _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Name's_ return prior to Thordarson's announcement of this belief last summer?"

Again, Gabriel looked around the room intently. A few hands slowly and cautiously started to go up and when Eric, Ines and John Dell raised their hands, several others felt embolden to be more truthful. Anna raised her hand as well and she was surprised there were some many other Guardians who did the same.

"Most of you?" Gabriel said, leaning to the side to get a better look at the group. "Okay. So let me ask you something else: where and when did you first hear this said?"

As Anna looked around; nobody seemed willing to answer. She could see her brother wanted to speak, but he was clearly looking for some courage among the other Guardians.

Surprisingly to all, it was Nox who finally said, "I heard it in the Mirror of Enlightenment at the joining ceremony."

Gabriel seemed pleased. "Yeah, that's where I heard it too," she replied encouragingly. She looked around. "Anybody else?"

"Yes… me too," said another girl in the back and then several others started to nod in agreement.

"Let's get to the point," John Dell said abruptly, stepping forward. "You all heard about _You-Know-Who's_ return within the mirror, didn't you?" Everybody who raised their hand agreed.

"Wait a minute," John Baird broke in. "Yeah… okay… so some of us were told by the Mirror of Enlightenment that 'the dark lord was gathering strength'," he said, making quotation signs with his fingers, "but that doesn't mean it was talking about _You-Know-Who_. It could have been talking about somebody else."

"No, it was talking about Voldemort!" Eric blurted out and the rest of the Guardians let out a gasp of surprise at hearing the name. "Oh stop it! Saying his name isn't going to hurt you. All of his supporters, all of his Death Eaters, called Voldemort 'the Dark Lord'. This is a well-known fact the Ministry already acknowledged years ago." He looked at Baird. "Your name is John, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Eric took a deep breath. "John, I believe one of your grandparents was killed by Voldemort's Death Eaters, is that correct?"

John Baird suddenly looked saddened. "My grandfather…fifteen years ago. A Death Eater killed him for refusing to provide proof that our family's wizarding bloodline was pure," he grumbled back.

"I'm very sorry, John. Truly… I am."

The boy glared back and was suddenly unsympathetic. "It was Rookwood… one of the escaped Death Eaters. I never knew my grandfather, but my mother told me he was a great man and now his murderer has escaped!"

Eric nodded. "John… I met your grandfather when he came to visit our home on Ministry business. Although I was very young…I still remember him. He was an incredibly impressive and very brave man. I'm sorry for your loss, but all the more reason you should keep an open mind when it comes to these reports of _You-Know-Who's_ return."

The boy looked at Eric and frowned. "I just can't believe it; no amount of magic can bring the dead back to life. It was the only thing my mother told me that…" he hesitated and then, "…would stop my nightmares."

Eric placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Voldemort's body was never found after he failed to kill the boy who lived. It's been my father's belief that this fact always left room for his possible return… and now… he has come back." John looked at him and began to shake his head.

Eric remained sympathetic. "Look deep within your heart and remember what the Mirror of Enlightenment told you about why the Guardians are here and how it all relates to the timing of Dumbledore's announcement last June. We can't ignore the fact that Voldemort has returned, because," he looked up at the rest of the group, "others could die needlessly if we ignore the truth."

John looked at Gabriel and then to Eric again. "I don't know, Professor… I just… I don't know."

"John… when we're all together like this… when all the Guardians are meeting as one, you can call me by my given name. You can call me Eric, all right?"

John Baird looked surprised and then smiled.

Gabriel stepped forward again. "Listen, I didn't want to start another argument about _You-Know-Who's_ return. For those of us who heard the Mirror of Enlightenment speaking to us about being a Guardian, do you remember what it said about who would lead us? Who did it say we should follow?"

"Someone it called… the Sithmaith," said a new first-year named Steven Borjg.

"That's right. That's what it said to me as well," said Isabel Lang.

Gabriel smiled. "Does everybody agree that our unnamed leader is what the mirror called the Sithmaith?"

Nearly everybody nodded.

"No…" Anna yelped unthinkingly.

"Anna… it's time you accepted this fact… and your future role," Eric said to her and several of the other Guardians frowned.

"Wait a minute," interrupted Teresa Sinclair. "Are you saying Anna Grayson is… this Sithmaith?" She looked at Anna in surprise. "How do you know?"

"Yes, I'm positive." Gabriel replied. "I know there was a lot of chaos during the Joining ceremony last year, but if you will recall, the Mirror of Enlightenment called her Sithmaith when she first exited the mirror, after she was named the very first Guardian at the school."

"Not to mention the fact she's probably the best in our dueling class," Gwen added confidently. "She even put her brother Damon on his back without a wand!"

"Gwen, please, don't!"

"She blew Professor Qwaad on his ass during detention without a wand too." Nox added with a smile. "Now that was impressive!"

"You did WHAT?" Eric snapped, looking shocked at his sister.

Anna was suddenly furious as she turned on Nox. "You promised you would never tell anyone about that!"

Nox shrugged. "So I lied." Nox turned back to the group. "You should have seen Qwaad picking himself up off the floor. He was smoldering like a piece of green wood. Oh… he was a sight!"

"Yeah, it makes sense now," added Arty Nelson. "Remember how she found that lost Muggle in the Shadowed Forest last year?"

"And how she stared down those dragons during the last Vollucross race?"

"Remember the way she blew that pixy out of the Swift Slalom stadium?"

"And she changed herself back without a wand when Dunning turned her into a rat? Now that was some amazing stuff there."

"She can pick up a spell faster than anybody I know at the school," added Joseph Philias.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Anna protested. "And it certainly doesn't make be a leader."

Gabriel walked over to Anna. "Like it or not, Anna, you are the Sithmaith the mirror told us to follow. You have proven skills far beyond anybody your age and… probably a lot more that you're not telling us, right?"

Anna turned and frowned accusingly at her brother. What had he already told them? She could feel the Lethifold within her chest rising up.

Eric seemed to know what she was thinking. "I could tell you a lot more about my sister's abilities, but not without betraying her trust." He looked at Anna again. "The fact is… she _is_ the Sithmaith, what the Mirror of Enlightenment called _the_ _bringer of peace_. She will be the leader of the Guardians one day and I intent to follow her."

Gabriel stepped up. "I brought everybody here tonight so we could acknowledge this truth: that Anna Grayson is the Sithmaith. What that really means or how she'll eventually lead us is still unknown, but we have to think about our future now that _You-Know-Who_ has returned and his Death Eaters are gaining strength. We have to be on our guard from now on."

Then Ines stepped forward. "And just because we believe _You-Know-Who_ has returned, the Ministry of Magic cannot be trusted to listen to us. Just the fact the Guardians have come into existence again should have been warning enough that a war is coming, but the Ministry continues to deny it and will do everything they can to suppress us or anybody else who says otherwise. The expulsion of three Guardians after the incident at the museum is proof of this fact."

John Dell spoke again. "Understand who your friends are and keep a tight tongue on the things you say in public. Don't be ignorant to believe stepping out of line, even in the slightest, won't get you expelled."

There was a mixture of agreement and disagreement in the room. Arguments began to break out in smaller groups and soon the noise level was growing. Eric's voice was calm but firm as he raised his hands to gather their attention.

"Please, everybody… please." The room quickly fell silent. He looked at Anna again and then back to the group. "I love my sister with all my heart, and while I know she is very reluctant to accept her future role as our leader… I also know this is her destiny. In the meantime, and like the rest of us, she must continue with her studies at Castlewood and after we leave this place if we are to be successful in championing the cause of magic. Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic will be working against us and it is the very definition of our mission that will set us against them, but each of us has the courage to fight for what we believe to be right. It is who we are; it's why we were chosen to be Guardians in the first place."

Eric looked concerned as he took the time to gaze at each and every face in the room. "In this mission given to us…we cannot fail, because it doesn't matter who leads us or sets themselves against us. In the end, the only thing that really matters is that magic is allowed to survive the folly of those working to kill each other.

243


	27. Chapter 25 - Within the Jaws

Chapter 04D15

Chapter 25 (draft 06)

Within the jaws

ONE

The evening winter wind was howling in chorus with the wolves in the forest surrounding Castlewood Academy. As a silvery half-moon began its expected rise over the plateau, a small figure could be seen crawling between the castle's cracks and crevasses looking for a way in which to enter and to warm his freezing bones. The creature moved unsteadily, pushed onward only by its lingering anger at the witch who had placed him in his lasting pain and difficulty. The pixie named Mowgawk suddenly slipped. He yelped raucously, only managing to save what was left of himself by clawing at the wood of an embedded windowsill set in the stone above him. A badly burnt and useless wing was flapping frantically over his left shoulder in rhythm with its twin as he pulled up and turned to finally sit. He sighed and then looked over the edge as the flakes of falling snow disappeared into the blackness between his knees. The creature shuddered before noticing his reflection next to him in the window glass. He growled under her breath.

"Moo-gak… tak ya noos."

The left side of his face was blackened and scorched from the hex the human had used against him in the slalom race. He heaved a rattled sigh again before wrapping his arms around his freezing body. Wincing at his shoulder once more, he grumbled under his breath. The wing would eventually grow back, of course, but it would take several weeks and now the coldest part of winter was upon him. He bared his sharp teeth as he reached back to remember the human who had caused him so much pain.

"Anna Grayson."

Mowgawk looked up in surprise. He hadn't said the name; it was another voice coming from the other side of the window. He peered through his reflection to see two wizards standing by a fire in the room beyond. The murmur of voices came from a small crack in the glass where he lowered himself to listen in.

"What manner of foolishness does she bear to think she could do something like that in the Dueling Hall and not be seen? For God's sake, the whole damn castle is talking about it." Qwaad was scowling down into the fire at his feet. "Dumbledore said she was supposed to be intelligent, but I'm starting to question his judgment." The man looked at the woman standing beside him. "Thordarson wants to you to warn the idiot girl away from doing anymore magic without a wand in public!" He blasted the logs with his wand, which caused the flames to glow a bright green.

"You forget… she is very young," Van Doorn grumbled back in reply. "Young and still… so unaware of what she is to become."

"I should have warned her never to do that again after she blasted me over my desk!"

"You think too much of her to believe," the woman heaved another injured breath, "that she can control her actions. She cannot possibly control what she does not understand."

Qwaad only huffed in reply.

Under her black veil, Van Doorn was scrutinizing the man suspiciously. "I think… you play the role of spy all too well," she grumbled on. "Was it truly necessary to tell the Minister of Magic about the two Guardians who have returned to Spellsburg to protect her?"

He turned to look at her and then smiled coolly. "You still don't trust me, do you?" Although he was trying to disarm her with his candor, deep inside he didn't like guessing at what the woman was thinking under all her shawls of black. She might as well have been a statue draped for storage. The woman said nothing in reply.

"It is necessary to keep the Minister informed on an ongoing basis," Qwaad continued. "That's my role; it's why she's put me in Castlewood at the beginning of the year. I'm supposed to be watching over Thordarson and looking for any betrayal in partnership with Dumbledore. If I hadn't told her, Dunning surely would have done so and that might have raised suspicions in both of them. The Chancellor cannot afford to have the Minister questioning my loyalties to her now, especially as it pertains to his position here at the school."

"If you can lie to one, you can just as well lie to the other. It still does not prove where your loyalties lie – with us or the Ministry!" Van Doorn retorted heatedly.

Qwaad's expression hardened. "No, it does not. However, you should remember that it was I who the International Confederation of Ministries sent to wipe Gregory Dunning's memory after Victoria Grayson's escape from Drogo prison. And I was the one who went to Thordarson to warn him that Helawena Barkelnap had counteracted those orders of _Obliviation _on the Captain of the Guard. The Minister wanted Dunning's memory intact after receiving his owl telling her he suspected Anna was responsible for her mother's escape. Dunning is spying for the Minister too, but Thordarson wouldn't know that if I hadn't remained loyal to him."

Van Doorn thought for a moment and then slowly turned to look into the fire. "But now you say Dunning is sending messages to the Minister about these murders in the city… he tries to implicate the girl whenever he can," she replied coolly. "Does the Minister truly suspect her own blood?"

Qwaad shook his head. "I don't think Barkelnap believes Anna had anything to do with the murders, but she does have some understanding of what the girl represents being the first Guardian. I think she suspects her of having more abilities than she knows and, perhaps, she used those abilities to help her mother to escape. Dunning has convinced her capability at Drogo, but as for the rest… the Minister believes as we do, that somebody is trying to frame Anna for the murders."

"Bah! To what end?" Van Doorn shot back.

Qwaad frowned at her. "There could be several reasons. We know that _You-Know-Who_ is aware of her and also suspects what she is to become. If he can't have her under his control then he'll probably try and kill her. That's always been his way of dealing with any potential obstacles."

"Yes, kill her, but frame her for murder? I think not," Van Doorn answered. "I told Thordarson and now I'm telling you: something is yet unseen in this work of blood and murder. It is not the Dark Lord's doing. There is another who is still to reveal their presence in all of this. I know it in my bones." The woman whipped out her wand and blasted the fireplace at Qwaad's feet. The heat even made Mowgawk lean back in response outside the window.

"I still do not trust you, spy. You are still the Minister's man sent here to watch over us."

Qwaad's face darkened and for a long moment the two did not speak. Finally, he said, "The noose around Hogwarts is tightening again. Educational Decree number twenty-six was published yesterday."

Van Doorn shoulders seemed to slump forward as she shook her head. "Evil does not understand justice. We know the Death Eaters are evil… but Umbridge is worse." The woman looked at Qwaad and growled through her veil, "She moves to the side of strength regardless of its intent — like a moth to the flame mindless to the heat."

Qwaad nodded. "Since Fudge named Umbridge _High Inquisitor_, McGonagall says she's been inspecting all of the classes at Hogwarts. It's clear now she and Fudge intend to remove the Headmaster; it's only a matter of time. I expect Helen will do the same if Thordarson continues to support Dumbledore's perspective on things. Helen and Fudge are still very close."

"Cornelius Fudge is a fool. What is he doing now with this new decree?"

"The teachers of Hogwarts are not allowed to give out any information to the students beyond what is normal to their lessons." Qwaad looked at her and sneered. "You know what this means, of course?"

The woman's wand disappeared under her robes. "It would mean the truth will be harder to fashion than gold from the snow outside. No matter - they are only children; the truth given under bows of silk would be of no use to them anyway."

"What about those who say the truth will set you free? Or in this case, it might keep you alive."

The woman sneered. "They are children. What is freedom to them? The truth will only make them miserable with worry and doubt."

Van Doorn looked at herself in the mirror over the fireplace. "Dumbledore is a good man, but in his current position he is forced to be least like himself. He should try wearing a mask…" she turned to stare back at the man. "He might then find the courage to do what is necessary."

Qwaad smirked and then turned to head for the door. "Strange sentiment coming from one who wears a mask all the time." He opened the door and turned to her again. "By the way, why do you wear that veil anyway? You shouldn't be ashamed of your battles with _him_ and his Death Eaters."

She turned away as she took another rattled breath. "My scars… they go deeper than you can possibly know."

Qwaad studied her and then left the room.

Van Doorn stood at the mirror staring at her draped reflection again. "My… scars…" she whispered softly. An ungloved hand then appeared from under her wraps and two boney fingers slowly pulled off the veil covering her face. Mowgawk's eyes widened.

"Perhaps… I should… think of them as trophies." Her head dropped sorrowfully and her injured voice was mixed with great remorse. "Anna Grayson will soon have many scars as well."

Mowgawk frowned and then turned away, grumbling as he went along.

"Ana-gray-sin, Ana-gray-sin, heh-heh. Moo-gak… tak ya noos, tak-ya-life, heh-heh-heh."

TWO

Trog looked up and down the dark streets of Spellsburg and then turned to motion to those waiting in the alley to join him. John Dell and Anna Grayson quickly came forward.

"John, did Eric say why he wanted to see us so early this morning? It's pretty strange time for a meeting. Are you sure everything is all right?"

It was still dark outside. Even the birds hadn't started to sing at the impending dawn, but even in the darkness Anna could see Trog raising a halting hand.

Three men were coming toward them across the street. They were staggering and laughing loudly.

"We earn every penny he pays us for the work we do," one of the men said drunkenly. "In fact… I think we should demand more, aye? Hah-hah-hah…" he bragged, slapping one his friends on the back. Trog watched them suspiciously as they rounded the next corner and disappeared.

"I don't known, Anna. Your brother's note only said it was important that we meet." John looked back at her and frowned. "What's the matter?"

John Dell reached out to nudge her on the shoulder. "Anna… are you okay?"

Although the three men were out of sight, Anna was still listening intently to their conversation with focused interest. She looked back at John and smiled.

"Huh? Oh… sorry." Her grin disappeared as she looked again in the direction where the men had disappeared. "I guess… it was nothing."

"We should keep moving, we should." Trog suggested worriedly. "It is not safe for you to be in the city." The ogre had the same look of worry and concern he carried when they first crossed over the drawbridge earlier that morning. Trog wasn't happy about the unexpected trip to Eric's flat.

Anna laughed. "You're kidding, right? I'll wager I've got the two biggest escorts on the entire plateau right her with me. I really don't think there's anything to worry about, Trog."

The ogre glared down at her. "You should be worried, you should!"

"They still following us?" John Dell asked him, jerking his head toward something unseen behind them.

Trog nodded nervously.

Anna's smile fell. "Following us?" She looked back into the darkness. "Somebody is following us?"

"We picked up a tail about two blocks from the castle," John answered, looking worriedly at the ogre again. "Are they still getting any closer?"

Trog nodded. "We must move… now! Anna — you will stay between us, you will."

The ogre straightened and then stepped forward, but Anna didn't move. She was still staring back, concentrating hard on the two heartbeats she could now clearly sense moving cautiously in their direction. She was surprised she hadn't sensed them earlier. The Guardian's mind was probing, touching, and then she suddenly recognized their pursuers. The subtle details within the blood she could hear pumping through their veins gave them away instantly. Trog was right; there were two. Anna straightened and then moved to the center of the empty street and to a position where she could face the two women coming at them. She smiled again.

"Anna, what are you doing?" John Dell whispered loudly. "Get back here!"

Suddenly, two robed figures appeared from out of the alleyway. They stopped unexpectedly when they saw Anna and Trog staring back at them.

"Tencha? Dowla? What are you doing here? Why are you following us?"

Anna's sisters looked at each other in surprise and then quickly came forward.

"Someday you're going to have to tell us how you do that," Dowla said in a frustrated tone of voice. "We did everything we could to make sure you didn't see us."

"Why are you here?" Trog demanded, rising to his full and very intimidating height. He came forward to emphasize his menacing presence over them.

"It's okay, Trog. These are my sisters. This is Tencha and Dowla Grayson.

"Did Eric invite you this morning as well?" John Dell asked them.

The twins nodded. "Yeah," they admitted simultaneously. "What's all the secrecy about?"

Dowla pointed back behind them. "We should tell you that Debbie Dunning is following you too. We saw you leaving the castle from the portcullis tower and then little Miss Debbie Do-Do shadowing you after you crossed the drawbridge."

"We know," John said.

"You did?" Anna and the twins replied together.

"Well… Trog did," John answered rolling his eyes.

The three girls looked up at the ogre who was sniffing the air coming out of the alleyway. He looked down at them again. "She's still there, she is. Her smell is… potent, that one."

The twins chuckled. "Yeah… that would be Debbie, all right. She does have a very rude smell to her," Tencha added. They looked at Anna. "We wanted to warn you off before springing our little trap on her."

Anna's eyes flashed at them. "Trap? What do you mean? What… are you planning to do?"

The twins smiled at each other. "Better you don't know. You head over to Eric's place and we'll meet you there just as soon as we take care of little Miss Do-Do behind us."

There was an unexpected boom in the distance, a wand's blast, and then a howl filling the air all around them. Everybody turned quickly to see the three men who had disappeared around the corner were coming straight at them.

"What do they want?" screamed one of the men.

"What do you think they want? Run you stupid fool, run!" one of the others yelled back at his friend.

John Dell stepped in front of the girls as Trog ripped off his crimson mask and crouched low into a protective stance.

The men skidded to a stop to scream again when they saw the ogre reaching out with his massive hands.

"Mother of God, we're surrounded," yelped the third man.

A horrible screech was heard over their heads and it immediately sent the three men running passed Trog into the street beyond.

"Vipertooth!" Anna whispered anxiously, dropping down to stare into the dark, morning sky.

The three men were half way down the cobbled street when, suddenly, a large dragon crashed down upon one of the slate roofs above them. Bricks and broken bits of tile slid down the roof under the dragon's feet and crashed on the sidewalk and alleyways below. The men skidded to a stop again and then turned to run back.

"Oh my God!" Tencha yelped, as a second dragon flew unexpectedly over their heads in gust of wind that almost swept them all off their feet. It crashed into the street ahead of the fleeing men, trapping them between the two creatures.

"Get to the door!" screamed one of the men, pushing his friends frantically toward one of the buildings.

The dragon on the rooftop shrieked angrily and with one abrupt, swiping motion from its bat-like wing, it sent the three of them flying thirty feet backward down the street. They thudded heavily onto the cobblestones and rolled over and over before stopping just a few yards from John Dell. At once, something rolled out from under one of the wizard's robes. It slowly bumped along, jerking rather oddly left and right between the cobblestones until it came to rest against Dowla's feet.

Through it all, the Graysons were fearful at what might happen next, but when Dowla looked down at the object sitting quietly below her, she quickly looked up at Tencha in terror.

"Oh my God!" Dowla whispered. "It's… an egg!"

Anna's heart stopped. See looked up at the dragons and then back to the egg. "Dowla… get away from it. Move!"

Two sets of heavy footfalls were suddenly converging, and when Dowla looked up she barely saw Trog coming at her. One massive hand snatched the girl up by the top of her head and straight off her feet. Wrapping her in his arms, the ogre leapt and the two hurled through the air and crashed through a store's display window just as a scaled claw swiped at the spot where Dowla stood. The creature screamed as its momentum hit the wet street. It slipped onto its side with a resounding boom and then slid into the side of a stone townhouse. Screeching madly, it scrambled to right itself again, uprooting huge swaths of cobblestones with its black, knife-like craws.

Spying the egg still lying in the street, the second dragon leaped from the rooftop and crashed into the street below. Two of the men looked unconscious, but the third was slowly stirring. He sat up holding his head and tried to clear his vision.

"Look out!" Tencha screamed as the second dragon closed in.

Immediately, Tencha and Anna were lifted off their feet by John Dell who tucked them under his arms and ran full speed toward the open window where Trog had disappeared.

The wizard in the street looked up and screamed in terror at the beast thundering toward him. He fumbled desperately in his robes before raising a wand to fire, but it was too late. The second set of jaws abruptly seized him from behind with a loud snap. The second dragon screeched angrily as she tried to sink her teeth into the man still screaming within the shaking jaws of the other. Anna closed her eyes in horror as the two dragons fought over the pieces of the wizard between them.

John Dell dove through the broken window with Anna and Tencha held tight in his arms. They crashed to the floor on the other side and into a pile of broken glass and brick from the smashed wall.

Rolling over and over, John finally released the girls as he scrambled to his enormous feet.

"Hide yourselves, quickly!"

"Dowla! Trog! Where are you?" Anna screamed. She suddenly crouched low as Tencha stood to call out to her twin.

"Dowla!" she screamed.

"Shut up!" Anna yelped back, but Tencha ignored her.

"Dowla!"

In a flash, Anna clamped a hand onto her sister's mouth and then pulled her down to the floor. Wrapping her legs around her, Anna locked her other arm around Tencha's neck to pull her down on top of her. Tencha's looked both shocked and confused as she stared down into Anna's terrorized face. She tried to muffle a short yelp, but Anna immediately countered by rolling her sister over onto her back to lie on top of her. She glared down into her face and clapped her hand down tight on her mouth again. Tencha struggled beneath her and then looked beyond her sister's face to see a dragon's head looming forward in the darkness under the ceiling above them. The creature was surveying the crashed displays and broken furnishing, looking for those who had escaped them.

Tencha's breath caught and her eyes widened in horror. She looked back to Anna and could see her sister's eyes were closed tight, her lips moving rapidly to the words of a silent prayer.

The dragon began sniffing at the air and peering eagerly into the dawn's morning light just beginning to fill the spaces between them. It growled at the scent of something close and then looked down. For a split second, Tencha thought the creature might not see them laying there within the piles dust and fallen debris, but she could see it in the dragon's eyes; its scaly lids widened in surprise as her head jerked back and then its pupils narrowed.

A second later the girls let out a scream as they were lifted six feet into the air before Anna was brutally snatched out of Tencha's arms. The creature's head smashed into the ceiling and then disappeared as broken pieces of lumber and plaster crashed to the floor on top of Tencha. When she looked up again, Anna was gone and her continuing screams seemed a mile away. A second later, there was a blur of something huge in crimson robes leaping over her head and out the window.

Dowla was suddenly by Tencha's side.

"It's got Anna! Come on!"

_Anna?_ Tencha's stunned mind was trying to clear itself, but Dowla was already dragging her toward the smashed wall overlooking the dawn filled street, and what they saw would be impossible to describe a week later. Trog was wrapped around the neck of the dragon that held Anna in its jaws by her robes and the ogre was beating furiously on the side of the great breast's head.

"YOU WILL LET HER GO, YOU WILL!" Trog screamed, pounding his huge fists into the creature's jaws. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE THE GUARDIAN, YOU WON'T!"

A wand's blast suddenly smashed into the side of the second dragon and the twins looked up to see John Dell firing hex after hex at the approaching creature whose booming footsteps made the ground quake beneath their feet. "I can't hold the other one back, Trog! She's too strong!" John's eyes widened as death thundered toward him. "Oh my…."

The approaching dragon screeched angrily and then swept John Dell off his feet with one smashing leathery wing. The blow sent him crashing into a rod-iron fence and then through a doorway containing an elderly couple in their nightgowns and caps looking out.

"LET GO, BEAST!" Trog roared, as he raised his giant fists again and again, raining down a storm of blows upon the dragon's head. His fists looked as if they could take down an entire building, which gave Dowla's reeling mind a moment of desperate hope.

Suddenly the tail of the creature whipped around to smash into Trog's back, but still the ogre held fast. He began pawing at the breast's jaws and then, unbelievably, they watched him trying to pry them open with all the magical strength his body could muster while Anna's body dangled limp and unconscious within her tangled robes below.

"What should we do?" Tencha yelled, but when she looked up Dowla was gone. She looked around and saw her sister in the middle of the street with her wand held high and seemingly running away from the fight.

"Dowla — no! Where are you going?"

Trog was ripped off the neck of the dragon holding Anna by the second and with one angry whip of its neck the creature spit the ogre through the side of another building.

Shaking with terrified fear, Tencha stepped out of her hiding place and raised her wand at the dragon still holding Anna in its jaws, but another screamed stopped her from firing.

"Beast! Is this what you want?"

Tencha looked around and to her surprise she saw Dowla standing in the middle of the street with her wand held high and holding something unexpected under her other arm.

"Drop my sister, or so help me I'll smash it!" she screamed.

Tencha looked again and groaned; she could now see Dowla was holding the dragon's egg.

The two dragons wheeled around and stared. For a moment the streets seemed mysteriously quiet, as if a silencing spell had been cast upon the entire city. Only the hissing fires from several broken streetlamps seemed to be warning Dowla to remain silent.

One of the dragons lowered her head nearly level to the ground and growled menacingly. Green, iridescent drips of spit plopped onto the street as the creature's gaze narrowed. The other dragon holding Anna let its jaw drop in surprise, but the Guardian remained suspended there, her robes tangled and entwined in the creature's lower fangs.

The ground quaking footfalls told Dowla all she needed to know. There would be no bargaining, no trading an egg for her sister, no hope of survival. She screamed as the dragon leapt at her and opened its wings and jaws. The blow that propelled her into unconsciousness was both swift and massive and sent her flying more than three hundred feet through the air. Tencha's heart froze has she watched her sister's body tumble through the morning sky, over and over again, shrinking to nothing more than a speck of debris before abruptly stopping. Tencha frowned. She could see Dowla's body hovering in mid air, seemingly frozen there, suspended, saved before having to endure the landing that would have surely finished her if she wasn't already dead.

The blasts of several spells and hexes were suddenly filling the streets all around her and Tencha quickly ducked behind the wall to take cover. From nearly every window and door running down the sidewalk, several wizards and witches, still in their morning pajamas, were firing at the two dragons standing in their destroyed street.

Tencha's anger flared. She immediately rose up and started waving her arms frantically. "Stop it! Stop firing! They have my sister, stop!" She covered her head as one of the blasts hit the adjoining row house, sending some of the slate down upon her.

"I said STOP IT!" And all at once, the hexes ceased.

Tencha slowly raised her head to see the street was quiet and suddenly empty of dragons. She could see two witches standing on their stoops and pointing into the distance as they lowered their wands. Tencha followed their gaze to see the dragons in the far off distance heading for the Shadowed Forest within a swarm of crimson cloaks giving chase on their doors and brooms. She turned to see the sidewalks beginning to fill with residents, their wands still in hand, surveying what was left of their street and the neighborhood surrounding them.

"Anna?" Tencha started looking around but her sister was nowhere to be seen. "Have you seen my sister?" She yelled at the women standing on the stoop. They didn't answer her, but the look on their faces was sympathetic and telling enough.

"Oh God…"

Tencha began to run down the street toward the disappearing dragons in the far off distance. She turned to the neighbors gathering behind her.

"Did they take her?" She grabbed an old man who was reaching out to her knowingly. "Did it take my sister? Please… tell me!"

"She's over here!" answered another voice over the crowd and Tencha snapped around quickly, her mind stuck between terror and relief.

She pushed her way through the crowd of robes and pajamas, following a yelling voice. "Call a healer, quick. We have an injured girl over here!" the voice said.

"Let me through! Please… that's my sister. Anna?"

Tencha finally broke through the crowd and a circle of residents looking down. She was praying Anna was still alive and then frowned as the unconscious girl was gently rolled to her back.

"Is she alive?" somebody asked, worriedly.

Tencha's heart sank. It was Debbie Dunning. In all chaos, she had completely forgotten the Lieutenant's sister had been following Anna through the city earlier that morning.

"I'm a healer," came a man's voice in the distance, "let me through, please."

"Has anybody seen Anna Grayson? She was…" her heart sank again. Tencha couldn't even begin to tell them where she last saw her sister — hanging from the jaws of a dragon.

An old woman reached out to hug her. "I'm afraid the beasts took her," she said softly into her ear. "They picked up the egg and then flew away with the girl." The women pulled back and then handed Tencha a wand. It was made of the strangest wood; the only one of its kind made of purple heart.

Tencha stepped back in shock and then her head dropped in depressed misery as she reached out to take the wand. Without saying another word, she turned and left the circle and headed for that spot in the open sky and where she had last seen her twin. Was Dowla dead as well?

"We have another injured man over here," yelled another voice, and Tencha barely glanced at the house where John Dell had disappeared. She started to run. Two sisters gone, maybe dead; it couldn't be true. It just could not. She tried to run faster.

"Dowla! I'm coming! I'm coming…"

52


	28. Chapter 26 - The Missing Ogre

Chapter 26D06

Chapter 26 (Draft 06)

The Missing Ogre

ONE

An hour later, Doctor Pearl was frantically barking orders in every direction. The beds on the hospital floor were full to bursting and the spaces between them crowded with family, teachers, healers and Crimson Guards. They were the overflow from the Spellsburg healer's ward in the city. Several residents were injured when the dragons cornered the three wizards now suspected of stealing their eggs. Given their injuries and the death of their comrade, the thieves had already paid a terrible price for their crimes, but the surly looking Guards surrounding their beds were there to escort them to the dungeons as soon as possible. The men were suspected of stealing from the Cliffs of Knowtor and the fabled, near legendary Dragon's Lair. They were part of a plague responsible for all the destruction the dragons had brought into the city. In the minds of the Guard and the people of Spellsburg, Askaban prison would be the next stop on their solemn road to justice.

Tencha and Damon were standing beside Dowla's bed. Their sister was still unconscious and looked battered and beaten, but she was still alive. The Crimson Guards had arrived just in time to stop Dowla's fall and chase the dragons out of the city. Tencha sat on the bed holding her sister's hand as one of the healers from the city began pouring a number of powered substances into a beaker next to her.

"How is my sister, doctor?" Damon asked, looking very irritated by the all commotion surrounding them.

"She'll be all right. I little bruised, yes, but it looks much worse than it is internally. She should make a full recovery. Have her drink this potion when she wakes up and that'll speed up her healing processes." The healer looked around worriedly. "Excuse me; I have a few other patients Doctor Pearl has asked me to look after."

Doman looked to stop the woman, but the healer was already helping John Dell in the adjoining bed. John was unconscious and being looked after by Pearl and two others. It was obvious to everyone that John was in very serious condition.

"They're not paying enough attention to Dowla's wounds," Damon said scathingly.

"John and Trog took the worst of it, Damon." Tencha replied. She was watching Pearl waving her wand over John and a number of magical devices suddenly started to appear around the bed. She looked strangely unnerved as she applied pressure to a particularly appalling wound on the side of the man's neck.

"It looks like he might have rolled in viper-venom here," one of the healers surmised, wincing as he lifted a mound of bandages off the open wounds on John's legs. "Once we stop the bleeding, we'll need to keep it from spreading and eating more of his flesh." Looking up, the man noticed the sickened expression on the faces of those watching them. Without another word, he yanked the curtain around to enclose the bed.

Tencha looked at Damon. "Is there any word about Anna?"

Damon was solemn as he shook his head. "They're still out searching. Eric is talking to father right now, so I expect he'll be on the next boat to Spellsburg."

On the other side of the room, Lieutenant Dunning was standing next to his sister who was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Look at this!" she complained. "All of this damage and chaos caused by the Graysons. Why aren't they arrested?"

She looked at her brother and sneered. "I told you what happened and why I followed Anna Grayson into the city. I tell you, she and that entourage of dimwits and freaks were out for their advantage before dark this morning. They were the ones that caused the dragons to attack the city again – I'm sure of it. Something they probably cooked up to terrorize everyone for their pleasure and profit. And I'm not surprised her two sisters were in on it too. They're always up to no good, Greg. You know that."

Gregory Dunning looked down at his sister and knew his response had to be guarded. The Chancellor had clearly warned him against sharing any information with the members of his family and there was far too much risk to his career to make the same mistake again. Debbie didn't know about the memory altering charm that Qwaad, the onetime Ministry Obliviator, had placed upon her to expunge her memories of everything he had told her about the Grayson family. This ministry sanctioned spell of forgetfulness was something he himself was to have shared with his sister after his failures at Drogo prison. The thought of it still pained him greatly and his only recompense had been the Minster of Magic trusting his suspicions regarding Anna Grayson's culpability at the prison. The Minister had his sentence of obliviation secretly set aside so he could report on Thordarson's actions and his support of Albus Dumbledore's claims that _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ had somehow returned from the dead. To be honest, Gregory Dunning didn't like acting the spy, but the idea of redeeming his reputation and status on the plateau had to take precedence. He watched Damon and Tencha Grayson trying to pour something from a beaker down their sister's throat.

"It would seem all of their sins have finally fallen at the feet of the Graysons today." He looked down at Debbie again. "In all likelihood Anna Grayson is dead… and one more Grayson troublemaker will have some lasting pain to remind them of all of their deeds of malice." He placed a hand on Debbie's shoulder. "We'll have to be happy with that for now."

"You may go, Miss Dunning," interrupted a smiling nurse. "Your injuries were not too bad, only a minor concussion from the falling debris. The potion I gave you should have done the trick and you're probably looking forward to getting away from this ruckus."

Debbie sprang to her feet and looked up at her brother. "So some Grayson rule breakers are finally getting their comeuppance. Well then… my work here is done." She smiled evilly and then left the hospital floor.

The lieutenant turned to stare at the Graysons again. "Not yet, dear sister; our work is far from complete so long as the Graysons remain here in the school," he whispered to himself. He headed across the room and stopped where the two smugglers remained unconscious. Lieutenant Mantos was speaking to his men guarding the beds.

"As soon as Doctor Pearl will allow it, I want these two taken down to the dungeons," Mantos said curtly, "Take the beds with them if you have to. These criminals should not be in the same room with students and residents. Do you understand?" The two guards nodded. "Good, get it done." He turned to see Dunning standing there.

"Oh Gregory — excellent; I was hoping to speak to you. I'm sure you won't have any problems with my stowing a couple of prisoners in your dungeons downstairs. I doubt Pearl will let them out of the castle so long as they're under her care, but they need to be in a cell."

Dunning nodded. "By all means; I'll store them for you and happily double your guard."

Mantos flashed a quick smile and then looked concerned. "I see they've released your sister. How's Debbie doing?"

"About as well as can be expected, but with your help I'm hoping to put a few more in my dungeon before the day is done." He was staring at the Graysons.

"What are you talking about?"

Dunning looked at him again. "Why do you think the Grayson were involved in this… ah…" he sneered skeptically, "incident in the city?"

"From what I've gathered after speaking to the sister," Mantos pointed to Tencha sitting on the bed, "they were in the city early this morning to meet with their brother Eric. John Dell and the ogre were escorting Anna Grayson outside the castle as per the Chancellor's orders."

Dunning studied Mantos carefully. "Wasn't it Anna Grayson who also told us about the smuggler's hideout?"

Mantos cocked his head questioningly. "Yes… it was. What are you insinuating?"

Dunning took the lieutenant by the shoulder and led him away from the other guards. "Don't you find it strange that the one person who knew about the smugglers' hideout was on the street once more this morning when these two dragons showed up to recover a stolen egg?"

Mantos frowned. "What are you saying, Greg… that the Graysons are somehow involved with these egg thieves?"

Dunning continued. "Did you ever get an answer from Hayman about how Anna Grayson knew about the smugglers' headquarters, or how she became the secret keeper to its location?"

Mantos shook his head. "The Captain would only say he was satisfied with her explanation, but he never told me what that explanation was or how she had come into the information."

Dunning smiled. "I have a theory. There's only one way I know that a person can become the keeper of a Fedelius secret." He leaned in. "That can only happen if the original keeper gives it to that person orally or by writing it down. You know as well as I that even if they draw a map to the place and accidently left it somewhere in full view, the location is still safe…"

"Unless the secret keeper actually intended it to be delivered to the finder," Mantos finished with a nod.

"Correct. So I ask you again: how did Anna Grayson become the secret keeper of the gap at 13 Old-Way Lane?"

Mantos stared at him, unwilling to give one obvious answer.

"Only if the leader, this limping man you've been looking for since the incident outside the Guardian walls, gave it to her. And remember too… Anna Grayson was one of four girls in that room with the blasted window; was that also just another coincidence? I recall you telling me that somebody from the Guardian Hall shouted out a warning about this limping man trying to get away. If you think about it, this could just as well been a warning to the fugitive that your men were nearly upon him."

Dunning cautiously looked around them and then continued. "And now this morning we're expected to believe the Graysons just happened to be on the same street when these three criminals showed up with another egg in their possession. Accept for the injuries to some of our citizens and the damage done to the city, some might consider it a blessing that the dragons showed up when they did. Otherwise, we might never have known about this meeting."

"Wait… so you're suggesting the Graysons are in league in some way with these smugglers?" Mantos replied, skeptically. "I find that very hard to believe, Greg."

"And why is that? Is it because there's no evidence to be found to link them, or because their family name is too prestigious for its consideration? Why is it that so many are afraid to voice their suspicions, Tom? I know their father works for the Minister of Magic, but how long can we ignore what is obvious here?"

"No… my skepticism has nothing to do with their father," Mantos replied. "It's because of the others who would be implicated and I can't believe John Dell and the ogre would be a party to anything so sinister. I know John Dell, Greg. He's a very close friend of mine, and in my mind his morals are completely incorruptible. As far as the ogre is concerned, Trog is a creature of the Shadowed Forest. It would be against his very nature to steal for profit. He's never accepted payment for his duties within the Guard because gold doesn't mean anything to him."

"Really? Are you sure about that? Shouldn't you at least try and question the beast about this trip into the city to meet the eldest brother then?" Dunning leaned in. "Where is the ogre now, Tom? Do you even know? If I were still your captain… I would be demanding an answer to that question from you right now."

Mantos quickly surveyed the hospital floor. "Nobody knows where Trog is. According to Tencha Grayson, the ogre was thrown through a building in the fight with one of the dragons… but… his body was never found. I would assume he's back in the forest, licking his wounds."

"Well that's rather convenient, wouldn't you say? So the only witness who can tell us what really happened this morning is the one hovering over her unconscious twin. If I were you, I would separate the two of them before she wakes up and they have a chance to begin their colluding."

Mantos frowned again. "What's going on, Greg? You couldn't have come up with all of this simply because of a broken Fedelius charm and the disappearance of an ogre. What else do you know?"

Dunning smiled. "You'll notice Eric Grayson isn't here either?"

Mantos looked around the floor and nodded. "I think he's using the Floo network to send a message to their father. What of it?"

"Tom… I had enough foresight to pull Eric Grayson aside before he was allowed to enter the hospital floor and I asked him about this so called meeting he had arranged this morning with his sisters. I thought it rather suspicious that a family meeting should be taking place before dawn and without Damon Grayson being present."

"And… what did Eric say?"

"The answer was plain on his face before he said anything, but he eventually admitted to me there was no planned meeting. He never sent for Anna Grayson or his other sisters."

The other lieutenant's jaw dropped. "He told you that?"

"Yes, Tom… he certainly did. I'm sure now he's probably sorry that he admitted this truth, but I didn't give him time to collude with his family before I grabbed him."

Dunning looked around meaningfully before reaching into his pocket to remove a small piece of parchment from his robes. He unfolded it and handed it to his friend. "I also have this; it was delivered to my sister in the city by an unknown informant yesterday afternoon."

"An informant?" Mantos took the paper, looking skeptical.

"She could only describe a little of what she saw of him, because it was obvious he was trying to keep his identity hidden beneath a heavy cloak and his face was wrapped bandages. She only saw him for an instant in passing when he forced this message into her hand."

Dunning could see is friend was handling the parchment like some diseased thing and he smiled. "Don't worry, I already checked it for prints and spells… it's clean."

Mantos opened the note and read:

_Dear Miss Dunning, _

_It has come to my attention that you are a person of utmost character and one who cares deeply about the laws of our city and the residents who strive to obey them. I have information regarding the transfer of illegal contraband taken from the forest and a meeting set for early tomorrow morning to exchange these stolen goods for gold. For the sake of my life, I dare not reveal the culprit's names here in this message, but I am counting on your fervent drive for decency to bring these thieves to justice. _

_The meeting is to be held in the city at first light and the person receiving this stolen property is a student at Castlewood Academy. She will have an escort to guard her person. I urge you to follow them, to be a witness to their crimes, and report your observations to the proper authorities. _

_Please be careful as I pray for your safety always,_

_A Worried Citizen_

Mantos couldn't believe his eyes. He looked up at Dunning with the appearance of remorse bleeding through his tightened expression, but his response was stronger than steel. He turned to one of his guards.

"Find Eric Grayson."

TWO

In the adjoining chamber, several people were speaking into the fireplaces set in a large circle around the room. The smell of spent Floo powder filled the air as their voices distributed the news of the dragon's destruction within the city. Eric Grayson's head was leaning into one of the fires.

"Father… some here have given up any hope that Anna… might still be alive."

Mister Grayson was sitting in the dark in his office. His face buried in his hands. "I should never have let her return to the plateau. This… is my fault. My foolishness is never-ending."

Gabby and Widwick stood looking up at the blue flames rising from the middle of a stone bowl on his desk. Eric face within the flames looked grieving. Gabby was whimpering uncontrollably while Widwick stood stoic and unmoved.

"The Crimson Guards are hunting for the dragons, father, but the _lair_ has been unplottable for centuries; even Thordarson doesn't know where it is, but the Chancellor and the guards are still out searching for her." There was a pause as Eric swallowed hard. "There's something else you should know, father."

Mister Grayson looked weary as his gaze returned to his son's image.

"Anna doesn't have her wand with her," he said somberly, as he raised his sister's purple heart to show him.

His father suddenly looked mortified and any hope for his daughter's safe return seemed to leave him. The man shuddered and swallowed hard. "How is Dowla?" he finally asked, hesitantly.

"We don't know yet. The healers were still working on her when I left to Floo you, but I don't believe her injuries are that serious. Tencha and Damon are with her now."

"And John Dell?"

Eric shook his head.

"Eric… we are responsible for John's care just as surely as if he were our blood. He was protecting Anna with my trust. Whatever he needs; make it clear to Doctor Pearl that our family will see to it that she has whatever she requires for his recovery. He is ours!"

"Yes, father, of course. I'll make sure she knows." Eric hesitated.

"Out with it, son. What are you keeping from me?"

Eric looked up and grinned at his father's ability to read him so well.

He took a deep breath and then Eric told his father about the questions Lieutenant Dunning had been asking him. He told him about the meeting it was said he had arranged to bring his sisters to his flat in the city before dawn and how, during their travel to see him, the smugglers were attacked by the dragons.

Mister Grayson didn't seem to care about the details. He immediately stood, "I'm on my way to you now, Eric. I'll Apparate directly to the docks and have Angus take me to the lagoon. There is a ship scheduled to depart from there in six hours. That should put me on the plateau a little after sunset and I'll be expecting an update immediately upon my arrival, sooner by owl if there's any news about Anna. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father, if there's any news… anything at all… I'll send word right away." He straightened again and then heaved.

Mister Grayson frowned at his son. "Eric… are you alright? I mean… I know we're all very…" he hesitated again, "worried about Anna… but you, my son, look exhausted."

Eric shrugged. "I'm alright, father. Really… at a time like this… my problems are nothing."

His father stared at him disbelievingly. "Tell me of your problems anyway."

"It's just that… well… I haven't been sleeping all that well lately."

"You mean over the last couple of days or has it been longer?"

"It's been… since I got back to Spellsburg after Christmas. It's just… I've been having some very strange dreams."

"Dreams? And they've been keeping you from sleeping?"

"No… I don't think so, but when they happen I don't feel like I've slept at all when I wake up."

Mister Grayson frowned again. "Do you remember these dreams?"

"Yes, sir, and that's what's so unusual, because I generally don't remember any of my dreams." Eric came forward to look directly into the flames again. "I've been dreaming a lot… about my mother."

Mister Grayson sat down again, looking surprised. "Your… mother?"

"Yes, sir. At least that's what I've come to believe. It's a woman's voice whispering to me, telling me she loves me and that she loves my father." Eric looked up again. "You would think they would be wonderful dreams… but they're not. The voice I'm hearing is so… distraught."

"I don't understand, son."

"She says she's being held a prisoner and she's… continually asking for my help."

Mister Grayson suddenly looked distrusting. "You think the woman in your dreams is you mother and she's asking you to help her?"

Eric looked worried. "Yes… she says that I should…" he hesitated.

"Yes?"

Eric swallowed hard. "She said… only the Sithmaith could free her."

Mister Grayson was surprised. He thought about it and once again his mind began to compartmentalize the most important actions awaiting his attention.

"Eric… I wouldn't worry about this too much right now. It's obvious to me you've been overworking yourself again. I know it'll be impossible until we find Anna, but try and get some rest between now and the time I arrive. We'll talk about this again and perhaps with Margaret Pearl very soon. In a situation like the one we find ourselves in now, I always try and think about what Pearl might say."

Eric smirked. "She would tell me to go upstairs right now and get some sleep."

"And in this case… I would agree."

Mister Grayson straightened. "Alight… I'm off. See to Dowla and John Dell before your nap and know that I'll be there with you shortly."

He rapped the side of the bowl with the tip of his wand and the face of his son elongated and then disappeared with a soft pop.

The master of Grayson estate stood staring into the bottom of the stone bowl with tears welling in his eyes. His heart was plunged into the deepest pit of grief he had ever felt, a place he would not allow his son to see. The man slowly turned to stare at the portrait of Victoria Grayson behind him. Her eyes, blue as sapphires, suddenly looked worried for him.

"Oh Victoria, what will I find when I get to Castlewood?" He placed a hand over his face. "What has happened to our Anna?" His body trembled and shook uncontrollably, and then suddenly the man out a howl of screaming agony. His legs buckled and he crumbled to the floor in utter despair.

"Anna!" he shrieked, pounding the floor.

He knew it in his heart: his beloved daughter was surely dead; the lasting proof that his love for her mother ever existed was gone. Worse still, he had killed his last born just as surely as if he had struck the deadly blow with his own wand. How could he have done it? What was he thinking to send her back there… to a place out of his reach, where she would be most vulnerable without his protection. How could he have done it… left her safety, trusted or not, in the hands of others?

Gabby ran to her master and fell onto his chest. She too was screaming, her lamented soul tearing itself apart in heart-wrenching agony toward the heavens. Her mistress, her Anna was gone. The two held each other there on the floor and cried together, the master and the elf, together in misery and pain.

And then there was a third voice, crying out, screaming to be heard over the madness gripping the entire house, where every portrait was wailing in their gathered misery. The voice became louder, it screamed out as a magical roar that rocked the entire house upon its foundations.

Mister Grayson looked up in shock as Gabby was suddenly hurled to the side.

"I SAID YOU IS TO STOP THIS! IT IS STUPID, IT IS!"

The master of the house looked up to find Widwick angrily glaring down at him, the magic within him giving off popping sparks of intense power between the points of his ears.

"YOU IS STUPID," the elf screamed. "STUPID — STUPID — STUPID!" He glared at Gabby, her eyes still flooded with tears. "MISS ANNA IS NOT DEAD! YOU IS BEING STUPID — THE BOTH OF YOUS — STUPID — STUPID — STUPID!"

Mister Grayson wiped his face and frowned. "But Widwick… you heard what happened. How could…"

"STUPID — STUPID — MASTER!"

Gabby suddenly scrambled back to her feet. "YOU! Is a disrespectful elf, you is! You dare to call our master… ? In this time of sad-giving?! You is an evil, evil elf!"

"SHUT UP, I SAY!" Widwick screamed back at her again. The sparks between the tips of his ears lighted once more as the room shook in response. "MISS ANNA IS NOT DEAD!"

Mister Grayson heaved and then slowly sat up to straighten his robes. "Widwick… what are you saying?"

The elf finally tried to find the missing respect due his master once more.

"Master, sir… I is begging you… please forgive an house elf's outburst and a creature in service speaking his mind, but you must know… our Anna cannot be killed. Not in the way Master Eric has told us — no."

Mister Grayson looked at Gabby, who seemed just as surprised as her master. "But Widwick, it was a dragon. A very large and predatory…" he suddenly stopped.

He saw it first in the elf's eyes, a glimmer of deepest understanding set within its species and kindled by magic. A window to the elf's soul was laid open for inspection, and from it a rush of understanding tore into the man's brain like blade in battle. And from within his deepest misery, the very thing working its grief and shame upon him, hope was suddenly ignited for both his daughter and of regaining heaven.

Widwick smiled back in satisfaction, for his master was finally grasping what should have been obvious from the start. "Dragon or no, it is still a most magical creature, it is," the elf whispered.

Mister Grayson was stunned. He got to his feet, wobbled over to the chair behind his desk, and slowly sat to think.

"Miss Anna is a Guardian, she is, and is knowing the hearts of all things magical, she does. A dragon would never harm itself without care and not again our mistress, no! By accident, maybe is possible… but never, never on purpose!" The little elf smiled again, his assurance and trust was blooming with conviction.

Widwick sneered at Gabby again. "You is being stupid, you is."

Gabby looked at Mister Grayson and could see the weakest thread of hope beginning to rise up from out of the shattered madness.

"Master?"

Mister Grayson looked at Widwick again.

"Never — is for sure," the elf whispered again.

The man fell into the creature's stare again, and from out of those wondrous spheres of life he could see it: complete confidence burning bright like a star on the horizon of his soul. This tiny creature, a servant to any wizard, knew more about the deepest parts of magic than any holding a wand ever could. He knew - he was so secure in his knowledge of things; it was so obvious to him. A creature in the wizarding world like this one, someone who knew Anna so well, who loved her more than his own life, something connected to magic so profoundly, would surely recognize the truth… would absolutely know if the Sithmaith had met its end in the magical world surrounding all of them.

Mister Grayson finally smiled. "You're right, Widwick… I have been stupid." he admitted in humiliation.

"Master?" Gabby muttered, her hope slowly building.

Mister Grayson smiled down at her. "He's right, Gabby. Widwick is right! Think about it, honey. Think hard and try to feel it in your heart. You know what Anna is. You know what she's meant to be, don't you?"

Gabby cocked her head questioningly.

"What is Anna to you?"

Gabby looked at Widwick, still puzzled. "Miss Anna is… she's my mistress, she is."

"Yes — yes… she's your mistress, but what else is she to you? To Widwick? To that mountain lion you found with her in the woods when she was a baby? What is she to this house? To the woods surrounding us? What is she to any magical object she's ever touched? What is she to Castlewood? What, Gabby? What is she?"

The little elf looked down at her feet to think. It took her a while to set all the things that made Anna personally so special to her aside and to think of her mistress as something more, as something completely different, completely obvious. Gabby's ears began to rise again and she looked at Mister Grayson with something of astonishment lighting in her face.

"What is she to that dragon that carried her away from Spellsburg?" Mister Grayson asked her.

The little creature smiled warmly. "She is… everything… she is."


	29. Chapter 27 - The Dragon's Lair

Chapter 27D06

Chapter 27 (Draft 06)

The Dragon's Lair

ONE

Anna slowly opened her eyes to a magnificent blue sky. She smiled as a small cloud, a wisp of feathery white, moved across her field of vision and the beautiful vastness beyond. _It's windy up there_, she thought, as a cold breeze caressed her face and brought a sudden smell of freshness that swept her mind back home again. She rolled her head to the left and a line of pines stood unmoved against the wind, a rank of snow-covered soldiers seemingly guarding the forest behind them; a beautiful legion of green. She rolled her head to the right and felt the unexpected sharpness of rubble crewing its way through the back of her skull. The stone on which she was lying continued another ten feet, an ugly, contrasting plate of blackness that ended in a jagged line. She frowned as the painful grit under her head clicked and clacked in response to her movements.

And then something very big was suddenly there and just as quickly gone and Anna's eyes widened in startled surprise. It had sailed straight through her line of sight just beyond that jagged line; a mass of bat-like flesh.

A second later she heard something reminiscent of the Allegheny Pride unfurling its sails and Anna swallowed hard as her heart began to hammer against her chest. Fear froze her to the spot; she didn't want whatever it was to take notice if she stirred. And then she heard it, the dreadful screech of something she knew all too well that forced her body bolt upright in response.

The black rock in which she was sitting was actually a cliff's edge and she could hear several sails moving through the air somewhere over its jagged end. Anna's head snapped around to look back at the trees again. Their hailing shadows were like an island across a swarming sea, but she turned anyway and began to slowly crawl toward their promise of obscurity. The sharp, glasslike rubble under her hands and knees were torturous as she moved forward, but Anna stopped caring when she heard the flapping sounds behind her getting louder.

"Oh my God…" she whispered to herself, crawling faster, "They're wings… dragon's wings!"

There was another long and hideous shriek above her and Anna fell prostrate to the ground to cover her head. The thing screeched again and then another beastly cry howled loud enough to shatter her skull from within. She covered the sides of her head in pain and bowed herself into a ball, but her eyes snapped open immediately when she felt the wind of something very large passing over her. The gust from the thing sucked her backward, dragging her body painfully across the sharp rubble toward the cliff once more. Panicking, Anna leapt to her feet and ran for the trees, but it was too late.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Anna seemed to lift her off her feet and into the air as something enormous landed behind her on the cliff's edge. She fell on her front and covered her head again, unable to see or breathe as the dust and gravel swirled all around her. She could hear something breathing heavily, a deep sucking sound fused within a snarl. She found her mind racing to the safest place she could remember in which to hide, to the place under her bed when she was playing with Gabby, but another hollow draw made her shudder. It sounded like the alley struggling to speak, like hissing steam traveling through old pipes.

There was another large thud, a heavy footfall coming closer, and Anna's eyes widened. The thing stopped, but its breathing was much closer now and hot against her back. The smell of it pushed its way through her nose and deep into her brain. It settled itself there like some unwanted intruder taking residence. Summoning what courage she had left, Anna finally turned to look back in astonished wonder.

"Oh… my… God."

The Vipertooth stood fifteen feet above her, but its unfurled wings were twice that side to side. The beast seemed to glow in the sunlight, a bright copper under a set of broken horns. It slowly circled Anna, lowering its head almost curiously, as if to examine every inch of her courage. Still on her hands and knees, the Guardian turned to follow the beast, keeping the thing in front of her always. She fumbled in the pockets of her tattered robes for her wand. It wasn't there and it was too late before she realized the dragon was now standing between her and the forest beyond; her only hope of escape was suddenly blocked.

Expecting death's fangs at any moment, Anna was surprised when the dragon turned, almost reluctantly, and then flapped over to where the trees met the rocks nearest the cliff's edge. She noticed a freshly made nest of toppled logs and mud sitting there. The great beast folded her wings and then stepped into the nest to sniff at its bottom. Anna could hear the thing cooing at something unseen and she couldn't stop herself from standing and then slowly lifting onto her toes to try and look in. The nest looked as if it had been lined with thick evergreens and flattened moss and a single egg came into view beneath the mother, reflecting the sun like some precious metal. Anna listened as the dragon cooed again, turned the egg with its broad snout, and then frowned when she saw the crack in its shell, a nasty wound that oozed an iridescent, green slime.

Anna dropped onto her heels again, her eyes widening in understanding. She stared up at the dragon once more, trying to ingnore the pictures racing through her mind of a man being torn apart in the streets of Spellsburg. The mother turned the egg over again and again, and then lifted the fleshy part of her belly to lay over it. She carefully lowered herself down, before a series of cracking sounds made the dragon jerk up and scream in frustration. Anna unconsciously stepped forward and found herself reaching out in surprised sympathy. It was obvious the egg was badly damaged, too far gone perhaps even for one whose love for it was bigger than a house. The creature bent over to nuzzle the object of her affection before resting her head on the side of the nest in disappointment. To Anna's amazement… she could hear the thing whimpering.

"Well… I suppose if you were going to eat me… you would have done so already," she whispered to the beast, and before she knew what she was doing the Guardian was standing by the giant nest looking in. She peered up at the mother once more and could see her eyes watching her almost indifferently from their corners. She looked completely defeated.

Anna wondered. She looked around and then turned to head for the forest. The dragon raised her head to glare at her and the Guardian immediately turned in response.

"I'll be right back… I promise," she said, raising her hands as if to calm the creature. Its scaly brow furrowed as she spied Anna's movements intently.

"Where the heck would I go anyway," the Guardian whispered, as she turned to the woods again.

Anna stepped into the forest and began looking around under all the branches. She searched in the places where it was light was strong enough to see, but where the sun failed to reach the forest floor. She finally found what she was looking for and began tearing at the blanket of moss growing over the rocks and roots. She pulled up thick carpets of the stuff, which she stacked in a pile as she worked. A few minutes later, she was back with the mother and layering the moss into the bottom of the nest.

"I must be crazy," Anna muttered, as she moved around the edge to pull and tug at the new matting. She glanced up at the dragon, "I won't even tell you what Gwen and Eric would say if they saw me doing this." When she was satisfied with her work, Anna looked up at the looming mother once more.

"I'm just going to move it over a bit, okay?" she told the beast, trying with difficulty to keep her fear in check. She took a deep breath and then carefully rolled the egg onto the new moss. The beast watched Anna intently until the Guardian stepped back.

"There now… why don't give it another try?"

The Vipertooth looked down to survey Anna's work and then slowly tried to settle herself once more. Anna held her breath, listening intently for anything giving way. All was quiet and she smiled in response up at the mother.

"There you go," she whispered guardedly. "You just needed a little more cushion is all." She looked around again. "I can see how those men were able to steal your egg. You've built your nest too close to the forest."

The great beast sniffed at the moss under her and then raised her head to bark loudly up at the open sky. Anna grinned again.

Several other dragons could be heard barking in reply all around them and Anna carefully stepped to the edge of the cliff to look down. A wisp of fog was moving through the gap blocking her view and she squinted hard to push her focus through. And then, quite unexpectedly, a breeze swept the fog aside and Anna gaped in wonder. A deep chasm appeared within the expanse below her; an abyss deeper than the oceans' depths fell away in a blurry haze of nothingness and in the air between them soared dozens of dragons. She watched them rising up and down in the thermals below, turning with the grace of angels as their bodies gleamed in the winter sun.

Another cloud of fog spilled into the gap and the Guardian walked along the edge in search for another opening in which to see. A second dragon dropped over the edge from out of the forest and Anna smiled as it looked back to bark at her. The fog cleared once more, enough for the sun to brighten the chasm below as she watched the dragon pitch up and then land against the wall of the cliff opposite. Holding fast with the claws and the hooks embedded in its wings, it crawled to its right and finally dropped down upon a ledge where another nest sat cradled in a corner protected from the wind. The Guardian could see two more eggs in its bottom shining like gold in the sun.

There were nests all along the edges and corners down in the rocks as far as the eye could see and several barking mothers nestled within them. Anna looked across the chasm and then to a great mountain in the distance wreathed in a circle of clouds and dozens of dragons soaring around its peak. And then something happened that Anna would remember for the rest of her life. The edge of the morning sun suddenly spilled over the edge of the earth in the far off distance and its golden beams of light brightened the entire mountain and the stage of rocks surrounding the cliffs. The sunrise created the most beautiful array of colors everywhere. The blues were suddenly filtered instantly reversing the cold, and as the warm sunbeams hit Anna full in the chest it snatched the breath from her body. The rising thermals traveling up the cliff walls were suddenly warm and inspiring to the spirit and the green of the forest abruptly brightened in a pallet of luminescence that Anna would see nowhere else in the world. It brought with it the perfumes of the earth, a mixture of wood and flowers and life, and it came into the Guardian's mind that if magic had a smell - this would be how one would experience it. To her, it was like the hand of God moving across that wonderful place to consecrate its beauty with his blessings end to end. The Dragon's all around her felt the warmth of the morning sun as well and they welcomed its return with a chorus of howls and happy barking. Anna's vision began to blur and found her eyes full of tears.

Turning to look back at the dragon cooing down at her egg again, Anna had to admit, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life." Another dragon flew overhead and dove into the abyss and in that moment of marveled wonder, the most obvious conclusion finally came to her.

"The Cliffs of Knowtor!" she whispered in surprise. She stepped closer to the edge and her smile widened as she leaned over to watch the dragon disappear into the fog below and several barks sounded in reply once more and everywhere around her.

"The Dragon's Lair."

TWO

It was nearly dark when a robed man stepped out of the tram house and onto the streets of Spellsburg.

"Father!"

Boris Grayson looked around and found this son racing toward him. He reached out and the two of embraced.

"Eric. I take it there's been no word?"

Eric pushed back. "Not yet, father, but the Chancellor and the Crimson Guard are still out looking for her. Dowla looks like she's going to be fine; she's awake now and being questioned by Lieutenant Mantos about what happened in the city. Damon and Tencha are with her." The two turned together toward the castle and Eric heard his father sigh.

"Thank you, God, for Dowla's recovery… but I had hoped you would bring better news about Anna."

Eric stopped again. "I'm convinced they're doing everything they can, father." His reply seemed distracted and Mister Grayson could see his son would soon reach his breaking point. He watched his manner closely; for Eric… understanding him fully was a matter of interpreting his deportment and gestures; he could see his hands were shaking uncontrollably as she wrapped himself within his robes.

Mister Grayson put an arm around Eric's shoulder as they continued to walk toward the Castle. "Have faith. I'm sure Anna will be fine."

The statement surprised Eric. "How can you be sure, father? I can barely contain my greatest fears… and now with it getting dark…" He could feel his father's grip tighten as if to encourage him. "My God… what are we going to do?"

Mister Grayson tried to smile. "I have it on good authority from Widwick that the dragons would never hurt the first Guardian in more than fifteen hundred years."

Eric frowned over at him. "Widwick? And his word is enough to set your mind at ease?"

His father looked up to the heavens and then turned his gaze toward the castle once more. "Strangely enough… somehow it does."

"Hello… Boris."

The two of them turned to find the Major of Spellsburg standing there. There was a Spellsburg guard and another man that only Mister Grayson recognized standing with him.

"Mayor Prower?" Eric replied in surprise. He noticed the mayor didn't acknowledge him at all as he stared intently at his father.

"Hello, Ulric. It's good to see you again," Mister Grayson answered flatly. He looked at the other man standing next to him. He was fairly young, with straight black hair and holding a clipboard. "Hello Gillian; you're a fair distance from home tonight. I take it… if you're here… we should soon expect to see the Minister as well?"

Eric was surprised again. "The Minister? Barkelnap is on her way to Spellsburg?"

Mister Grayson nodded. "I expect she is or soon will be." he looked back at the man standing next to the mayor again. "Eric, I don't know that you've ever met Gillian Munt, personal secretary to the Minister of Magic."

The young man remained stoic. "Minister Barkelnap will be arriving in the morning, Director. She's obviously very distressed about the news concerning the death of her niece."

"Death!" Eric blurted out. "Who said Anna was dead? We don't know that yet!"

The young man seemed taken aback. "I… ah… just assumed, given the circumstances…" he looked over at the mayor. It was obvious to everyone that the Mayor of Spellsburg had already come to the same grisly conclusion.

"I'm very sorry, Boris. I know the two of us haven't seen eye to eye on many things recently, but I hope you know I'm sincerely sorry about what happened. I had the watch out waiting for this last ship to arrive tonight with the hope that you would be on board. I wanted to make sure you knew the city is here to support you during this…" he hesitated, "difficult time."

Mister Grayson nodded and then stepped forward. He reached out to shake the mayor's hand. "I appreciate your support, my friend, but as Eric said… we're not giving up that Anna is still alive. In fact… I'm fairly certain she'll be found very soon."

Prowler smiled earnestly. "Of course, Boris, of course. We're all praying for her safe return to our city and your family."

A few minutes later, Mister Grayson and Eric were crossing over the castle drawbridge. Eric looked back one last time to insure the mayor and his entourage was no longer following them.

"Father, before we go inside, I need to speak to you about the ongoing investigation by the Crimson Guard.

"Investigation?"

Eric reached out to stop his father. "They're investigating why Tencha, Dowla and Anna were in the city before sunup this morning."

Mister Grayson frowned at his son. "Gregory Dunning again?" Eric nodded. "What now? Can't this wait until after I've seen Dowla?" He turned to head through the portcullis. "Dunning's ongoing battle with our family is low on my list of priorities right now."

Eric stopped him again. "You're going to want to hear this, father."

Frowning again, Mister Grayson turned and then gripped the railing overlooking the moat. "All right, what's Dunning up to now?"

"It was inevitable that Dunning would begin asking questions about why the girls were outside the castle grounds so early this morning and on their way, presumably, to my flat."

"You've already told me this through the Floo network." He looked up longingly at the castle again. "You said they were on their way to see you when they ran into the smugglers being chased by the dragons. What of it?"

"The thing is, father, I didn't send for them. They were not on the streets by my doing."

"Mister Grayson frowned. "But you said Dowla received a note from you…"

"That's what Tencha told Lieutenant Mantos… but that summons didn't come from me, father."

"What?"

"That's right, and as a result… it sounds as if the twins have lied about why they were out. So now Dunning is trying to connect the actions of these smugglers to our family directly."

"By what logic would he do that? It doesn't make any sense."

"It would if there was other evidence to connect them."

"What evidence? Eric, what are you saying?"

"Dunning's sister, Debbie Dunning was given a tip yesterday that somebody in the castle would be meeting with the smugglers to take possession of some illegal goods coming out of the Shadowed Forest."

"A tip? From whom?"

"The girl didn't know. Apparently she didn't get a real good look at the man; she could only describe him vaguely as somebody in a hooded robe and…" Eric hesitated.

"And?"

Eric heaved again and then looked into his father's eyes. "She said his face was covered in wrappings or some kind of bandages."

Mister Grayson's eyes widened. "My God… she said that?"

Eric nodded.

Boris Grayson turned again to gaze out at the moat, his mind racing once more.

"As you know, father, we've already heard from this man once before. It was the same man who tried to warn Anna away from the Vollucross stables months ago… when she found the body of Michael Wendell."

Mister Grayson looked at Eric again. "We've always suspected this so-called cursed man might have been trying to set Anna up for that murder. It could have been Voldemort's doing… but this doesn't make any sense. Other than this ambiguous description of the informant… the two occurrences seem so unrelated."

"Other than the fact that it puts Anna back in trouble again with the authorities," Eric replied. "I think Dunning has convinced Mantos of our culpability in all of this… given this so-called informant. Father… Tom Mantos is a good man, but this really looks bad for us."

Mister Grayson shook his head. "I appreciate you telling me this before entering the castle. My surprise at these questions wouldn't do us any good. We have to inspire the confidence that comes with being above any direct accusations. Or worse… any indirect assertions Dunning is famous at providing. For now, I need to see your sister."

Eric nodded and then led the way through the entranceway and into the castle.

THREE

All of the Guardians of Castlewood were inside the Academy Chapel and in silent prayer. Gwen and Sarah Bell were kneeling, staring up at the altar and at the plain wooden cross set in the back. They could hear several sniffs and somebody sobbing somewhere behind them.

Gwen leaned over to Sarah and whispered, "I wish they would stop that stupid crying. No one said Anna was dead yet." Sarah thought she sounded angry.

"What time is her father supposed to arrive?" Sarah whispered back.

"Anytime now; I think Eric went down to the station house to meet Mister Grayson and take him up to the hospital floor.

Soft weeping could be heard behind them once again.

"Ah-right… that's enough!" a loud voice barked. Gwen and Sarah turned to look back and could see Tanya Joe wagging a threatening finger at a wet-faced first year. "What in blue-blazes are you blubbering on about anyway? It's time you put'a stopper in it, girl!"

"Thank you…" Nox sang out from the back.

The girl looked up at her in surprise. "But Anna was…" she sniffed, "carried off by… by…" she sniffed again, unable to continue.

"That don't mean squat from possums!" TJ yelped back and Gwen smiled. "How many times has Anna Grayson been in a fix and found a way outta it? Huh? How many times?"

"Too many to count," replied Isabel Lang to the side. "We can't give up hope now."

TJ looked around at the others. "If I catch anybody throwin' dirt on Anna Grayson before we know what's-what, we'll be having words 'down our wands! Anna's got more heart than'a twenty foot Brahma bull."

The girl looked up at TJ, smiled cautiously, and then nodded.

"Good… now slide over 'for I crack'ya head fer talkin' crazy." TJ knelt beside the girl and put an arm around her shoulder. "I hear ya cluckin' like that again… I'm gonna set'cha on'a nest."

Sarah smiled up at Gwen. "Leave it to TJ to make everyone feel better… even at a time like this."

The chapel fell silent once again.

FOUR

"What else do you remember?"

Mantos was standing over Dowla with a quill and a piece of parchment.

"Like I said, I was holding the egg with the hope it might force the dragon to drop my sister. I remember the dragon swooping down from the top of the roof and then…" Dowla looked up at her father and her face began to crumble. Mister Grayson immediately leaned in to take his daughter into his arms.

"I tried, daddy! I did everything I could…" Dowla sobbed miserably.

"Yes, of course... I know you did, sweetheart. Both you and Tencha were very, very brave." He looked up at Tencha who was crying into her hands. He reached out to her. "We haven't given up yet. I firmly believe your sister is still alive."

"Oh… but daddy… you didn't see it," Dowla cried. "The beast was a monster… hideous… and Anna… she was so small and being thrown about. We should have done more... we should have…"

"Other than giving up your own life, you could not have done more," Damon commented stoically.

Tencha sat on the bed next to her father and he pulled her close.

"Damon is right. You did all you could," Eric added.

Dunning broke in. "Getting back to his note you said you received from your brother to meet him at his flat this morning. Do any of you still have that parchment?" The lieutenant looked disbelieving at Tencha.

"No… I don't. The letter was delivered by owl with an incendiary charm placed upon it. It burst into flames immediately after I read it," Tencha replied. Mantos looked at Dowla and she nodded.

"And what about Anna's copy? Did she also claim it was destroyed?" Dunning asked them.

"Claim?" Damon yelped. "If my sisters say it was charmed to incinerate itself, then that's what happened."

"Yes… of course." Dunning turned to stare at Eric and sneered. "And what about you? Are you still holding to your statement earlier tonight… that you never wrote these notes?"

Eric frowned. "You mean the statement you wrangled out of me in a moment of terror before I entered the hospital floor?"

"Please, Eric," Mantos broke in. "We're just looking to make sense out of what we know."

"Is all of this questioning really necessary right now? Now — when we're all worried about Anna?" Tencha asked them

"All the more reason to get to the bottom of why you were out of the castle before light," Dunning snapped back. "We have one man dead, two criminals in custody for theft and Anna Grayson who most likely is…"

"Is… in good spirits and proper heath," said a familiar voice from across the room.

They all turned to find the Chancellor of Castlewood Academy standing at the entrance to the hospital floor. He smiled and turned to the side to reveal Anna standing behind him.

"Anna!" Eric and Tencha yelped together.

Mister Grayson stood when he saw his youngest daughter enter the room smiling. She looked tousled, her robes torn, ruffled and disheveled, but her smile seemed to brighten the entire floor when she saw her family. She ran forward and immediately fell into her father's waiting arms.

"My dear, sweet child… thank God you're safe."

"I'm fine, daddy. Really… I'm all right."

"Margaret… although Miss Grayson seems to be in proper spirit, could I tear you away from your other duties to confirm our best assumptions please?" the Chancellor said, smiling.

Doctor Pearl was still wiping her tears of joy from her eyes when she suddenly straightened and then bustled forward. "Right away, Chancellor."

Anna looked them. "Oh no; really… I'm fine. Can't I stay with my family and…"

"Not another word, young lady," Pearl said, cutting across her. "I can already see some rather nasty scratches I'll want to take a closer look at." She pointed her toward the back of the room. "If you please, young lady… I believe you know the drill."

Anna looked at her father. "But daddy…"

"Let Margaret check you out," he answered her. "We're not going anywhere and we'll be right here waiting for you when she's satisfied." He reached out to hug his daughter again, but Thordarson stepped forward.

"Given what you've all had to endure today, I completely understand your relief and wanting to be close to Anna, but I think it best to limit any physical contact right now. Her robes, you see, are spattered with what I've concluded to be Vipertooth venom. One of our guards has already received some rather nasty burns on his hands in his attempts to sooth her after her experience on Cliffs of Knowtor."

"The Cliffs of Knowtor…?" several in the room whispered in surprise.

The Chancellor motioned to somebody in the hallway and then stepped aside once again as Trog bowed low to come through the doorway. He was draped in tattered Crimson robes, some of which were torn away and wrapped haphazardly around his hands. His mask was barely covered the top of his head.

Anna smiled and then looked up at her father. "It was Trog who found me at the Dragon's Lair, daddy. Although the dragons didn't hurt me, I would have taken me a month to find my way back to Spellsburg without him."

John Hayman was standing by Trog's side. "Our search parties found them about five miles to the east. Apparently, Trog knew exactly where to find the Lair after Anna was taken and immediately headed off to rescue her."

Mister Grayson was taken aback by his emotions. He came forward to stand in front of the enormous ogre. "Sir… my family and I are deeply indebted to you for your courage and your concern for my daughter." He stuck out his hand in gratitude.

Trog jerked back his wrapped hands in surprise. "The venom. It burns, it does."

Mister Grayson smiled. "I'll take that chance, my friend." He took Trog's massive hand in his and shook it vigorously.

Trog tried to smile. "I should have stopped the dragons from taking the first Guardian. It was my fault, it was."

"Nonsense, my good ogre," Thordarson chimed in. "As powerful and magical a being as you are, you are still no match for two nesting Vipertooth. The city's entire guard would have been hard pressed to stop what happened."

"I agree, Trog," Mister Grayson replied. "I am most grateful to you for bringing Anna back to us."

The ogre finally smiled and nodded. He seemed relieved Anna's father wasn't angry with him.

"Good. Now then, let's have one of our healers take a look at your hands while Doctor Pearl looks after Anna." The chancellor motioned Trog forward.

"Right you are," Pearl agreed, turning her attention again to Anna. She lifted her wand high. "But first – let's get those sputum -laden robes off of you before they burn you more.

"_Accio_-_Gloves_!" A set of dragon-skinned gloves whooshed forward from out of a closet."

"You won't have to worry about that, Margaret."

Pearl turned and frowned at Thordarson as he continued to explain, "You see… the venom doesn't seem to affect Anna at all." He smiled as he looked at Mister Grayson. "It would seem she has a uniquely impressive immunity to the poison."

Anna looked confused and everybody else was surprised as Pearl quickly shuttled her away.

Thordarson came forward again. "In the meantime, Eric… could I ask you to head down to the Castlewood Chapel and give the Guardians there the good news about your sister's safe return? They've been in something of a vigil all day."

Eric smiled, enthusiastically. "Right away, Professor. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear the good news."

240


	30. Chapter 28 - Van Doorn's Curse

Chapter 28D06

Chapter 28 (Draft 06)

Van Doorn's Curse

ONE

The dragon seemed content as it slept; satisfied the egg beneath her warm body would now have a very good chance of survival. It startled Anna to think the mother might be thankful to her for saving her baby. Thankful, that is, in the most practical of ways that forestalled her from being devoured until after the egg was hatched. The Guardian clearly recognized that if she was still nearby when the momentous occasion finally took place, all bets were off. Yes, Anna understood the reality of her situation well enough to begin looking for a way to escape the cliffs as the enormous dragon quietly slumbered on.

But where would she go? In which direction might she start? She was unconscious when the dragon carried her away from Spellsburg and brought to these fabled nesting grounds. Anna looked to the forest again. Obviously, that was the only direction in which to begin her journey home. She shuttered as she reluctantly stepped between the trees; God only knew what would be waiting for her so deep in the Shadowed Forest.

"So you just strode off into the forest by yourself," Tencha asked her.

The entire Grayson family sat in the Tower Room next to a warm fire. Gwen and Sarah Bell were there with the family as well, listening in astonishment to Anna's story of rescue.

"Well… yeah. Better that than to wait around for one of the mothers to change their minds about eating me." Anna replied with a shrug. She looked into the flames of the fire again and continued.

She moved through the forest carefully and as quietly as she could, keeping a watchful eye on the high canopy for any clues that might tell her in which direction to travel. She felt thankful it was still early in the day. Although she had no hope of getting back to Spellsburg before dark, at least she could get as far away from the dragon's lair as possible before having to worry about surviving the night alone in the forest.

She remembered how she had Apparated from the dungeons of Drogo all the way home in California and wondered how in the world she had done it. At the time, she was weak to nearly the point of death and it was only with the help of all the magic surrounding her that she had escaped to journey home. Nobody can normally Apparate on or off the plateau, but she had done it. How she longed to know how it could be done again as she ducked under another hanging branch.

She walked for about an hour and until she felt far enough away to think about what she was doing. She had no idea how far she was from Castlewood, or in which direction she might travel to get back. She felt her stomach grumble angrily about her missed breakfast; food and water would eventually become a problem as well.

Eventually, Anna came upon another high precipice, and it was there she realized she wasn't necessarily in a place where her escape might be possible. She was standing among a series of peninsulas and cliffs, jetting out into another part of the lair from every direction.

As she stood there looking bewildered, another dragon flew in and landed on the ledge beside her. It was a smaller male and Anna tried to keep her fear in check; its horns were a little longer and his colors much more vibrant than the nesting mothers she had seen earlier. The great beast leaned down to scrutinize every inch of the Guardian, twisting his huge head sideways and then upside down as if to sniff the air around her. His inspection made, Anna smirked as he jerked back and shook his head rudely.

"Well… you don't smell so good yourself," she said in an annoyed tone.

The dragon barked and then rose up to open his wings and that's when Anna saw the glitter of something marvelous embedded in his chest. The Guardian looked closer as the beast inflated to show off his collection of precious stones, silver and gold buried deep within his scales.

Anna recognized what must have been a king's ransom in uncut diamonds, rubies, sapphires and even a gold pocket watch. Obviously, years of hunting and hoarding had led to stealing as well. Anna remembered Eric talking about Taurus who had taken to stealing anything shiny in her brother's apartment. Her father had explained this instinctive hoarding was something dragons did to protect their soft underbellies. Some of the oldest legends were obviously true.

Anna smiled cautiously. "You look very handsome," she said, pointing at the dragon's stomach. "And I'm sure… ah… that the lady dragons are very impressed."

The dragon barked again before dropping to the ground once more. He shook his head again at the smell of her and then leapt off the rocky ledge and into the waiting thermals. Despite her rather perilous situation, Anna couldn't stop herself from smiling. She thought about the scale encrusted jewelry on his stomach and that's when the most wonderful thought suddenly came to her.

"The bracelet!"

Anna quickly rolled up her sleeve of her robe to find the jade bracelet John Dell had given to her.

"Can I bring John to me here?" Although she knew nobody could Apparate, it did work when they were in Eric's flat. Anna frowned as she looked around again and realized it might not be a good idea to bring a friend into the Dragon's Lair. The Guardian remembered Captain Hayman's warning, _'You must never knowingly put yourself in any danger, Anna. For doing so would put more than just yourself at risk.'_

"But if not now, when?" Anna said, quickly setting her fears aside. She was going to need all the help she could if she was going to make it home again.

The Guardian grabbed hold of the bracket and closed her eyes to concentrate. She could already hear the voices within the magical object singing to her.

_You wait for the other, call to him._

_Though all the world and distance created, call to him…_

Anna didn't wait for the rest of the song to pass. "John… please… come to me."

She waited, listening to hear the expected crack and flash of light, but there was no reply. She tried to calm her mind.

"John Dell… come to me!"

Anna waited again, finally opening one eye to peek into the trees surrounding her. It wasn't working. John wasn't coming. That's when Anna vaguely remembered the fight with the dragons in the city and a scene in her mind of John Dell being thrown through a heavy doorway.

"John?" Anna shuddered, tears filling her eyes. "He must have been injured in the fight with the dragons. My God… I hope he's alright." She thought he must be gravely injured if he was unable to come to her rescue. Anna heaved a sigh of despair; she was on her own.

Suddenly, and with no warning, Anna was snatched off her feet and into a dizzying smear of color all around her. The trees and shrubs were flying by so quickly, the Guardian couldn't focus on what was happening to her. The experience immediately took her mind back to her father's elevator port key, but wasn't long before Anna realized that something very large had grabbed her and was now carrying her off at a speed so great she could barely breathe. Panicking, Anna tried to break free of the thing, seemingly traveling miles in seconds, but immediately knowing three things about its nature; it was enormous, it was fast, and it was highly magical. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the thing holding Anna stopped and the Guardian tumbled to the ground and rolled over and over before coming to a stop in a pile of leaves under a cluster of young saplings.

Anna groaned as she rolled onto her back and then tried to focus her vision on the canopy above her. She finally sat upright and looked around at what had just happened before trying to stand. She found her head woozy from the trip and wondered if this was how Dowla and Tencha felt when they were seasick on the BB5. She unconsciously searched through her robes again for her wand before remembering… it was already lost. There was a deep grunt from something behind her and Anna slowly turned and looked up. Standing before her was an enormous and very angry looking ogre.

"Oh my God," she whimpered.

The creature was much bigger than Trog and much more fearsome to look at. At least fifteen feet tall, it had horns six feet across the top of its bearded head and teeth the size of bricks with two enormous tusks that protruded outward to the sides. The thing snorted again, looking very angry as it spoke.

"Thief, you are!" the creature snarled in a very deep and intimidating voice.

Anna stared at the thing in disbelief. She didn't know how to respond.

"Human swine!" The giant suddenly turned to smash one of its horns into the side of an old oak, which sent it crashing to the ground with an earthshaking thud.

"Raise your wand, wizard! We shall battle here, we will!"

Anna stepped back, frightened beyond her ability to speak.

"YOUR WAND, WIZARD!"

"I… I don't have my wand…" Anna whispered, meekly.

The creature threw its horns about again, downing another tree on the other side. "Then you die where you stand, thief!" and the great beast raised its head and bellowed like a bull into the open sky above them. It yanked its beard hard and gouged huge furrows in the ground with its feet as it prepared to charge.

"But… I'm not a thief… really!"

"You lie, you do! Wizards come to the Dragon's Lair only to steal the young, they do." The ogre lowered its head. "I have seen you do it and I have killed many wizards bigger than you, I have. Breathe your last, thief," the thing bellowed.

"But I didn't come here… I was brought here. Please… you must listen to me!" But Anna's words were lost within the thunder of an approaching stampede. She screamed and ducked down as the beast lowered its horns at her.

And then, from out of the forest, another streak of bowed color smashed into the side of the ogre, knocking it off course and sideways into the woods. There was a loud and pain-filled bellow as two enormous creatures fell into battle. They toppled trees and uprooted boulders as they fought before Anna looked up to see a second, much smaller ogre grappling with the first. The two bellowed and snarled as they slammed into each other, but it wasn't long before the larger beast picked up the second and threw him over Anna's head and twenty feet into the forest behind her. The larger ogre, sensing the defeat of the other, stood and pulled its beard hard and then howled into the open sky in furious rage.

"Glors! Stop it, you will!"

Anna looked around to find Trog stumbling out of the forest behind her, holding what looked like an injured arm. He was still wearing his crimson robes from early that morning. He screamed at the other ogre again, "You will stop, you must!"

The ogre called Glors looked at him and then frowned, as if suddenly recognizing him.

"Trog?"

"It is I, dear-one. It is Trog, it is."

Anna came forward quickly and flew herself gratefully into her friend's middle.

"Oh Trog! Oh God, I'm so glad to see you." Her voice was muffled as she cried against him. The other ogre called Glors snarled at the affections given to Trog by the tiny egg thief.

"Why is this thing touching you, Trog? Stomp the thief, this killer of the young, you will!" Glors started furrowing the ground under its feet once again.

"This wizard is my friend, she is, and she is no thief."

"I found her at the lair, I did," the other bellowed back. "Only wizard-thieves dare, they do!"

Trog gently picked Anna up and set her out of harm's way behind him. He then slowly came forward to face the much larger Glors. He reached up, took hold of the other ogre's beard, and gently pulled its face down. He then lovingly stroked one of the horns on the massive head of the other and Glors' eyes immediately softened at his touch.

"Trog," it mumbled. "Where have you been? The rut is already into its second moon, it is." Glors picked Trog up off the ground and then hugged him tight. "I've missed you, husband."

Anna's jaw dropped "Husband!"

TWO

An hour later, the two ogres returned to the spot where Anna had been left alone and Glors was carrying Trog in her arms and cooing into his beard with the greatest affection. She finally set Trog on his feet again when they saw Anna coming into view.

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Trog pointed to the other ogre. "Anna Grayson, this is Glors, it is. She… is my other."

Still shaken at almost being trampled by an ogre half again as big as Trog, Anna tried to smile. "It's ah… very good to meet you, Glors."

Like Trog, the creature had some familiar features that defined her species. There were dark, pebble-like protrusions imbedded in her mud-colored face and a beard that looked like it was made of moss. But unlike Trog, the ogre wasn't bald at all. Her hair looked more like the branches of a tree, complete with brown velvet and green fleshy leaves that draped randomly over the base of her horns. Her eyes, however, were very much like Trog's, a beautiful emerald green.

Glors didn't acknowledge Anna in any way given the fact that all her loving attention was still focused upon Trog. When she finally noticed the Guardian, she seemed unconvinced of her innocence on the Cliffs of Knowtor.

"Why didn't the dragons eat you? I do not understand, I don't." she said wonderingly.

Anna was taken aback. "I ahhhh… well… I guess I don't really know why they let me go."

Trog looked at Glors and frowned. "I already told you, I did. Anna Grayson is a Guardian, like in the days of old. The first Guardian since the time of legends, she is. She speaks to the dragon's hearts," he explained gently, careful not to spark the other ogre's anger once again. "Surely, you must have felt it."

Glors still looked unconvinced. She inspected Anna again, but her mind seemed to float away, as if trying to make sense out of Trog's words. Finally, the giant strode forward and squatted down before the young girl. She reached out with hands the size of Swooper's saddle, placed them upon Anna's shoulders, and then closed her eyes. After a few seconds had passed, and Anna was fairly certain Glors wasn't going to crush her utterly, the Guardian closed her eyes as well and concentrated hard on the creature in front of her.

She could hear the ogre's two hearts thumping like a drum in her chest, one out of sync with the other. The creature seemed relaxed, content, at one with her own existence and with the world around her. The ogre opened the same levels of awareness within Anna as with Trog. She was highly magical, probably more so the Trog on many levels. Anna could feel the presence of the source deep within her, a place where all the magic within spilled forth. The Guardian reached deeper toward the source, a shining star that grew to become more visible within her mind. What Anna saw perhaps could have been described as the creature's soul… but she didn't think so. She reached deeper to the shining essence that Anna could now feel as well as see. Her probing was met with some obstacles, wardens to what was present… but the power of the Sithmaith was strong and bent a new path toward the gleaming center. Her mind finally entered a place where the light was stored, a place peaceful and serene, but guarded well.

"It's love," Anna whispered softly. A face came forth from out of the light, the keeper of the brilliance within Glors' being was suddenly there and the Guardian smiled when she recognized the features shining forth. The ogre's hearts were now synchronized as Anna reached out in her mind and stroked the face she saw there. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the creature before her smiling back. There were tears flowing down her face and into the dried bones tied to her beard.

"I see Trog within you," the Guardian whispered to Glors, so that only she could hear her. "I can see you love him very much."

The ogre opened her eyes and looked deep into the Guardian's touched expression. She studied Anna closely and then lifted her giant hands away.

"I will apologize, Guardian, I will," she whispered back. "I see now you had no evil intensions."

Anna nodded, and for the first time in her life she realized that love is connected to magic in one very special way: the more of one you have, the greater the other was could to be.

"It will be dark soon. I must take Anna Grayson home, I will," Trog said, looking up and into the bruising sky.

Glors rose up, like a giant tree vaulting unexpectedly from out of the ground. "She is very powerful, this one, she is," the ogre replied. "She can stay the night in the Forest without fear." She looked at Trog again and smiled. "We can knot under the stars again, husband."

Trog smiled back at her. "I cannot. Her family is worried for her; of that I am sure, I am. The Chancellor of Castlewood and the Guard are also in the forest searching for her, they are. While the Guardian would be at home in these woods, the others are surely not, I know. It is unlikely all would survive the rising moon if forced to continue the search."

Glors sighed, looked at Anna again and then nodded. "Guardian… you would be welcome on my mountain again, you surely would." She then reached over to hug Trog, lifting him off his feet with ease and Anna thought she heard the sound of clicking bones in her loving embrace.

"You will return to me before the next moon of the rut, husband."

Minutes later, Anna was in Trog's arms and the forest surrounding them was a blur of blazing color. Using his magical speed, he was crossing huge swaths of land as Anna closed her eyes tight to ward off the dizziness.

"Eventually, Trog found the search party looking for me and one of the Crimson Guards let me share his door to fly back home," Anna said in conclusion, raising her hands to warm them by the fire in the Tower room.

Gwen shook her head. "I would never have thought anything could be bigger or more powerful than Trog."

Eric nodded and then smiled. "That sounds like a good question for my Care of Magical Creatures class: 'Which is bigger in Mountain Ogres – males or females?'"

Anna smiled as she looked back at her brother. "Females… definitely!"

THREE

Anna awoke to the sound of taping in a dream. She was being chased through the Shadowed Forest by a horned ogre riding atop an angry Vipertooth. Anna turned and pointed her purple heart and then hesitated as the ogre lowered its horns and then transformed into a white luminescent bull.

TAP… TAP—TAP—TAP.

Anna sat up quickly and turned to the window to find Hobbs standing on the outside ledge. She smiled as she slid the window open.

"I was wondering when you'd show up again! I haven't seen you since Christmas. You must have heard me talking about the dragons flying around the city when we were home."

Hobbs looked over his shoulder warily and then screeched as he stepped up onto Anna's arm; she winced as his claws pinched down. Anna took the scroll attached to his leg and then let the bird hop down onto her blankets. She unrolled the scroll and saw it was a letter from Mrs. Porchdow.

_Dear Anna,_

_I pray this message finds you well and your spirits uplifted despite the ongoing and dreadful news coming out of Spellsburg. We were so happy to hear of your safe return and I pray your father is not overstating your good health. _

_I wanted to update you again about my search for our friend. _

Anna's heart leapt. "Leola!" She quickly read on.

_Regrettably, I have not been successful in my efforts here on Grayson Hill. I continue to search the property and have used every excuse I can to enter the manor to look there as well. In addition, I have sought advice from our friends in the chapel, but have been unsuccessful in getting their attention. _

_I will continue my efforts, but I'm hoping you've gained some insight on where we might look next. _

_Your Dearest Friend, Edith_

Anna lowered her head in despair. Her ally in magic was still a prisoner. Anna watched as the corners of the letter started to smoke and then catch fire. She slowly set the parchment out on the ledge of the window and watched as the incendiary charm placed upon it took hold. Hope was failing her and suddenly Anna felt very exposed and vulnerable to world around her once more.

FOUR

The cursed man peered out from his hiding place in an alley within the shadows of the Guardian Hall. He looked up to see a wanted poster of Reginald Carter pasted to the stone above him. He smiled at the image and then gave the portrait and loving tap on the forehead. He turned his attention to the window where he knew Anna Grayson slept and then frowned as a hand was seen dropping a piece of burning parchment over the ledge. He sneered and fell back as the ashes floated down into the streets below.

"What shall I do, old friend? What can be done to gather your attention more? I need to escape this retched plateau if I am to join you again in wanted anarchy and Muggle blood."

The hooded form looked up at the Guardian Hall once more. "Why hasn't your servant come to protect her daughter? Twice I have put murder at the girl's feet and added wearing suspicions of thievery in the minds of the Crimson Guard." He sneered again. "It was easy enough to put the egg thieves in her path yesterday, but the unexpected benefits given by the dragon carrying her off have not moved the mother to respond," he growled. "I thought surely she would counter by now.

"I must get your attention, Tom, but I don't know where your _Death Eaters_ can be found. The man ducked away as a group of women passed by on the sidewalk. As the man melted into the darkness, he whispered, "Victoria Grayson remains my only link to you, old friend… and my best hope of rescue. Perhaps it is time to press the poachers harder."

FIVE

"John? Can you hear me? John Dell…?"

Anna leaned back and sighed. Her friend was lying very still on the bed in the hospital floor. She looked down his bulky length and then to his feet protruding out of the blankets and upon a table below him. She looked up at Gwen and Sarah behind her and shook her head.

Sarah put her hand on her shoulder. "At… at least the he… he… healers said he should ma… make a full re… recov…recovery." Her roommate still had a bad stammer whenever she spoke to Anna. The lingering effects of the _Imperious _curse were very strong. Anna heaved and nodded back thankfully.

"I wonder if he's ticklish," Gwen speculated, and Anna's eyes widened in alarm as her friend pointed her wand at the man's bare feet lying upon the table.

"Don't you dare!" replied a thick voice.

Anna looked up at John in surprise when she saw him staring up at her.

"John! Oh you're awake. How are you feeling?"

John Dell looked around the room and then down at Gwen at the foot of the bed still holding her wand to his feet.

"Vulnerable."

Gwen smiled and then stowed her wand. "I knew that would get a rise out of him."

"How did you know I would be ticklish?"

Gwen smirked as she looked down at his feet again. "With gunboats that big… they would have to be, right?"

"Are you in any pain?" Anna asked him.

John raised an enormous hand to his forehead to massage the skin below his scalp. "Just a very bad headache."

Anna immediately stood. "We should find Doctor Pearl… she'll know what to do," she said, looking around frantically.

"I'm fine, Anna. I think being thrown into the side of a building might have a few lasting effects."

Anna sat down again. "You were very brave coming to my rescue. You would have been killed if it wasn't for you."

John could see the tears welling in her eyes. "I think Trog took to worst of it. How is he?"

"He's fine. He was the one who brought me back from the Dragon's Lair."

John Dell's eyes widened again. "The what?"

Anna nodded. "It's a long story…" and she was about to explain when they were interrupted.

"Anna?"

They all turned to find Gabriel looking at them. The Guardian Knight looked nervous.

"Professor Van Doorn wants to see you in her office."

Anna frowned as Gwen and Sarah Bell looked at her. "You mean right now? But it's Saturday."

"Right away… she found me at breakfast in the Rotunda and sent me to find you."

Anna slowly got to her feet. "Did she say what she wanted?"

Gabriel shook her head. "No, she didn't. I take it you have no idea what this is about either?"

Anna looked worried. She always found Professor Van Doorn to be a most intimidating figure in all her veils and shawls of black.

"You'd better be off then, but make sure you get back to me afterward if there's any trouble, okay?" The Knight didn't wait for a reply as she turned to look down.

"How are you, John?"

Anna left the hospital floor and headed for the North Tower, which was always a rather frightening place to be even when it was crowded with students. Now that the corridors were empty and dark, its cold passages seemed especially ominous. The only light to show the way came from the burning torches gripped by their brackets. Anna was startled when a pearl-white ghost, a man with a blackened gash across his throat, moaned loudly as he crossed her path and disappeared through the wall opposite. A singular scream somewhere in the upper tower was especially gruesome and always made Anna jump. As the Guardian moved deeper into the darkness, one of the torches left its bracket to follow her down the hallway. The bluish light reminded her of the glowing orbs within Drogo Castle.

Finally, the Guardian was standing at Professor Van Doorn's office door. She straightened her robes and knocked, but heard nothing in reply. She opened the door and looked in.

"Professor?" Anna cleared her throat. "Ah… Professor Van Doorn?" There was no response, but the room had an inviting fire ablaze behind a wooden desk piled high with rolls of parchment and several old books.

"Hello?" Anna called.

She came around to stand at the fire and then turned to find an old copy of _The Daily Prophet,_ the wizarding newspaper from Britain. Dated September 9th, there was a picture on the front page of a prudish looking woman with pursed lips. Anna thought the woman looked especially pleased with herself as she read the headline, _'Delores __Umbridge named __Hogwarts High Inquisitor'._

_The Ministry of Magic announced the passing of Educational Decree number twenty-three, which creates the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor. The post will be filled by __Dolores Jane Umbridge who was recently named the Hogwarts Dark Arts instructor at the beginning of the term._

_The purpose of the High Inquisitor will be to improve the falling standards seen as of late at the prestigious wizarding school, led by its Headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore. Madam Umbridge previously served __as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic._

Anna slid the paper aside and found a copy of a wizarding magazine called the Quibbler. There on the cover was a picture of a boy Anna immediately recognized. It was Harry Potter. The magazine was dated February 23rd and was entitled:

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:  
>THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN<br>Written by Rita Skeeter

Anna's eyes widened, but a strange bump drew her attention away from the desk and to a door on the other side of the room. Anna looked around and then moved cautiously to the door before peeking in.

Professor Van Doorn stood with her back turned and facing a mirror. The woman was unveiled as she stared at her own reflection looking back and Anna's eyes widened in surprise. The woman's face was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen in her life. Her hair was ebony black and her skin beautiful, as if completely untouched by age. Her eyes were dark and her lips full and pink. Her cheeks were high and framed the most perfect nose. Anna smiled and then knocked before thinking.

"Professor?"

She saw the woman's eyes look at her from out of the mirror and she shrieked. Her wand came around quickly, but it was too late. Something from out of the mirror flew across the room like streak of bloody lightening and hit Anna full in the face. The Guardian screamed and flew backward as the door slammed in front of her. Anna covered her face as searing pain, a fist of living lava, grabbed ahold of her and tried to rip the skin away from her skull. She saw flashes of man's face, his skin like graying death, and red coals for eyes sneering at her.

Suddenly, the door flew open again and through her pain Anna could see Professor Van Doorn floating quickly across the threshold into the room. The veil she wore covered her head again and her wand was pointed down at her.

"What do you mean by spying on me?" a torn voice screamed. The black dress she wore crawled across the floor like some misshapen spider carrying the woman on its back while the rest of the fabric blew up around her furiously. It appeared to be alive with several appendages swirling like thickening shadows surrounding her head. The black tentacles reached down at Anna on the floor and shrieked as if to project the woman's anger.

Anna's face burned as she saw the man in her mind raising a wand at her; his snake-like features were grotesque and distorted as he blasted what would have been her head clean off her shoulders. The Guardian screamed again from the pain of it.

Van Doorn was yelling down at her and Anna could see the veil on her head tighten against the flesh of her face within. Its surface looked disfigured, twisted and covered in scars. She raised her wand and shot another hex straight into Anna's hands covering her face and the Guardian screamed again before everything within her body ceased and darkness engulfed her.

The black clothing encircling the woman seemed to drop into a robbed state as recognition finally came to her. She slowly lowered her wand as she looked down. Anna Grayson, the first Guardian born in fifteen centuries was unconscious on the floor before her; another innocent victim of the curse Van Doorn carried upon her.

An hour later, Anna stirred and then woke up on a couch in Van Doorn's office. The woman in all her shawls was sitting next to her. Anna's eyes widened and she bolted up quickly.

"Calm yourself, Guardian, and have no fear," the woman growled.

Anna didn't believe her. She put a hand to her face.

"And do not worry; my curse did no spread itself to you."

Anna's skin felt smooth to the touch and there was no pain. "What happened to me?"

"The curse that is my disfigurement is very contagious, child. Anyone who sees my face…" she heaved through her veil, "will feel the rebounding hex in much the same way I did when I was first cursed. Fortunately, you only saw the reflection of my image in the mirror, so the curse was not passed on except for the pain of it. I was able to stop your torture with a spell of my own design. Otherwise, like me… you would have suffered for more than a month."

Anna cringed. "A month!" She couldn't imagine surviving what she had felt for more than a minute.

"You… were hexed?"

The woman nodded and Anna felt apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I… I didn't mean to intrude and I wasn't trying to spy on you. I called out several times when I arrived… but…"

The woman raised a hand to stop her. "The penance given by your suffering far surpassed any disrespect shown for my privacy. I am only thankful there won't be any…" she sucked in another rasping breath, "lasting damage to you."

Anna remembered what she saw in the woman's mirror and frowned. "Professor… although I didn't mean to, I did see your face in the mirror for just a few seconds before the hex hit me. You're very beautiful." She looked at the woman and could tell from her body's reaction, she was unsettled by Anna's comment. The woman stood and slowly walked to the fire to warm her gloved hands.

"In my youth, I was a very pretty thing. I went to the Durmstrang Institute for my wizard training and all the boys found my appearance very pleasing," she grumbled. "At the time, my voice was strong and beautiful. I used to sing in the choir. That was before I finished my training and moved to London to become an Auror. She looked back at Anna and she could hear the woman huff through her veil.

"I brought many followers of _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ to justice, so it was inevitable that I would eventually face the Dark Lord himself one day.

Anna swallowed hard. "You… you saw Voldemort?"

The woman hissed at her. "Have I not warned you in my class about saying his name, child?"

"I'm sorry… I mean… _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_."

Van Doorn returned to the fire, as if to remember back. "I and three other Aurors did face him. I was hexed first and the results are as you see, but I was the lucky one… because all of my comrades were killed. My face was disfigured and scared, and my voice, once so beautiful, was left barely useable. My curse only shows itself for the horror it really is to those who have already suffered from its contagious effects." Her head bowed and Anna was horrified by her story.

"I suppose the Dark Lord's curse was meant to draw others in by allowing them to see my former self as it was in my youth, but I haven't seen the face you saw in the mirror in more than twenty years."

The woman suddenly turned. "Enough reminiscing… we must carry on whatever the storms. You should not have any long-term, ill effects by what happened, but if you are concerned, I would suggest you seek out the Healer Pearl as soon as possible. In the meantime, I called you here tonight for a reason.

Anna was surprised again. She had completely forgotten she had been summoned earlier that night.

"Professor Thordarson has asked me to speak to you about doing magic without your wand. You will not flaunt this ability in public again, do you understand?" Anna tried to protest. "Not another word," Van Doorn said, cutting her off sharply. "This will not be debated."

"I wasn't going to argue with you, Professor. I was just going to say that in the few times it's happened it was more like an accident than something I was actually trying to do. It's only happened twice: once in Professor Qwaad's office and then again when I was in the dueling hall with my brother. And in both cases, I had very little control over what happened. It's really a wonder I didn't accidently kill somebody." She shook her head. "I wouldn't try to do anything like that on purpose."

"That is NOT what I said." Van Doorn snapped back. "Thordarson doesn't want you displaying this ability in public, but that doesn't mean this power should not be practiced and adapted to a purpose."

Anna was surprised. "You mean… you want me to do it again?" She could tell by the way the woman tilted her body that she was somewhat amused by Anna's response.

"Do you remember…" Van Doorn heaved again, "the first time you came to my Dark Arts class?"

Anna frowned and then nodded.

"Do you remember what I said about the Dark Arts?"

The Guardian thought back and said, "You told us it could be useful at the appropriate time and…"

"To save yourself or those closest to you," the woman finished. She straightened. "There is no such thing as evil magic, Anna…" she heaved a rattled breath once more, "only wizards or witches who would twist it to suit their evil purposes. Would it be better to die a noble death, not using all the skills at your disposal, than to save a life… maybe even your own life?"

Anna thought about what happened to Qwaad and her brother and then she remembered the _Imperious _curse used on Sarah Bell. She looked at Professor Van Doorn again. "Yes… it _would_ be better to die than to use magic for an evil purpose."

Van Doorn turned to the fire once more. "We shall disagree then." She removed the gloves from her hands and then stretched out her palms to warm her fingers. Anna thought they looked like bones with portions of seared flesh still attached. The sight of them made her look away.

"You will come to me every Friday night for the rest of the term to practice your skills." She turned to face Anna again and pointed a boney finger at her; she looked terrifying… like the shadow of death reaching for its scythe. "And you will leave your wand in your room."

As Anna left Van Doorn's office that night, she tried to put out of her mind the woman's hands and the disfigured face behind her veil. Voldemort had hexed her in battle; it was unbelievable that a man, wizard or not, could be so cruel. It was a curse with contagious properties. Where had she heard of that kind of hex before? She stopped in her tracks when the answer hit her.

_My mother's messenger._ "The cursed man in Spellsburg!"

242


	31. Chapter 29 - Educational Decree Number T

Chapter 29D08

Chapter 29 (Draft 08)

Educational Decree Number Twenty Eight

ONE

By the end of March, the seasons were changing on the plateau and once again and Anna was overcome by all the glorious color and smells on the plateau. As the warm air reached into the mountains, it released the splendor of blossoms from their winter prison. The trees were budding, the hedges were bright with yellow and red flowers, and the grasses outside the walls of Spellsburg were a sea of purple. The bees set to work and the birds were singing gaily as they hunted for twigs to build their nests. It would seem neither the worry of the city's unsolved murders nor the occasional dragon flying overhead could diminish the community of their smiles and cheery disposition. Spring had finally arrived in Pennsylvania.

Anna was sharing breakfast in the Great Rotunda with a number of other Guardians, but she was staring at the Defender table.

"What's the matter, Anna?" Gwen asked her, seeing her friend was clearly annoyed about something.

Anna looked at her and then jerked a nod toward Debbie Dunning seated next to her Defender cronies.

Gwen cautiously turned around to look over and then frowned. "What?"

"Watch her," Anna added irately. "Watch her hands."

Gwen looked again and then saw Debbie raising her wand under the table and pointing it to the right where Sarah Bell was standing near the entranceway talking to Gabriel. Suddenly, Sarah's shirt pulled up to her waistline and she dropped her books in a feeble attempt to quickly pull it back down. Looking to save her fellow Guardian from any further harassment, Gabriel moved to stand between Sarah and the crowd of students still eating. Surely, nobody would dare to do that to a Knight of Castlewood. Gabriel looked furious as she scanned through the tables, looking for the culprit with the wand. Luckily the room was so unruly at breakfast that nobody saw what was happening to Sarah.

Debbie flicked her wand again, and this time Gabriel's shirt zoomed up as well, and Debbie's fellow Defenders started snickering behind their napkins.

"Why that little…" Gwen whispered, reaching into her robes for her wand, but Anna stopped her.

"No, no… you don't want to land in detention too, do you? No wands at the breakfast table, remember? Let me…"

Anna laced her fingers in front of her mouth and Gwen watched in amazement as her friend lowered her brow to focus her stare at Debbie across the room. It had been a full month since Anna had begun her instruction with Professor Van Doorn without the use of the wand. It was very difficult work, but as the weeks passed, Anna had come to believe there wasn't much she couldn't do without her mother's purple heart. It took a great deal of concentration to do it, but with Van Doorn's help, Anna found herself looking forward to their time together and had even asked to increase their lessons to twice a week.

Gwen looked at Anna and then over to Debbie who was still laughing and flicking her wand at Sarah and Gabriel. She saw Anna's focus drawing hard through her hands and then watched as a single finger abruptly unfolded to rest against the side of her nose. Suddenly, Debbie Dunning's wand and the hand holding it were wrenched up from out of its hiding place in front of her face. Debbie looked both surprised and shocked as her arm slowly extended itself outward with the point of the wand up, as if to hand it to the person seated in front of her. Gwen could see the girl struggling to pull her arm back, but the power of the spell being used against her was too strong.

"You!" yelled Gabriel from the doorway, and several in the Rotunda looked over to see the Guardian Knight coming forward and pointing at Debbie Dunning. "You think you're being funny, do you? What are you playing at — casting spells at another student behind their back?"

Everybody went quiet and looked over to see Debbie still staring at her wand stretched out, as if to show the entire world she was guilty of the charge. One of her Defender friends tried to push her arm down again and began whispering frantically into Debbie's ear, but her arm seemed rigid and locked in place, her wand upright.

Damon stood at the Defender table frowning at Debbie Dunning. "No wands at the breakfast table, Dunning. Stow it — now!"

There were beads of sweat pouring out of Dunning's face as she tried with all her might to pull her arm back. "I…I can't," she finally replied. "I can't move my arm!"

"Detention!" Gabriel yelled out.

Gwen was watching Anna who was concentrating hard across the dining room. Finally, she could see Anna slowly lowering her finger and then Debbie's arm began to pull back.

"I said stow it!" Damon hollered.

Debbie was wide-eyed, watching her hand slowly returning on its own. And then, quite suddenly, she jammed the end of the wand straight up her own nose. The girl screamed and then feel backward, crashing to the floor as the entire Rotunda burst out in laughter. Anna finally lowered her hands and smiled broadly.

TWO

Two hours later, Anna was sitting in her Care of Magical Creatures class waiting for Eric to arrive. Her fellow classmates were still laughing and joking about Debbie Dunning jamming her own wand up her nose.

"And to think… she still has ta'do detention," TJ sang out with glee. "That'll teach her to squat with'er spurs on." The room roared again.

"But who was it that hexed her? Does anybody know?" Sarah Bell said, worriedly. "I wouldn't want anybody to get into trouble for my sake."

"Yeah… you know… I was wondering about that myself." Gwen replied. She looked over at Anna and smiled knowingly.

Anna's eyes widened. _Don't you dare, _she tried to tell her friend wordlessly. She was terrified Van Doorn might find out what she had done over breakfast. The woman's warnings about not displaying her abilities in public had been frightening.

Gwen smiled back. "But nobody really knows, do they?"

Eric Grayson was shaking his head as he walked a brisk pace through the corridors of Castlewood. "Late for my own bloody class!" He whispered to himself angrily. He scanned the nearly empty hallways surrounding him.

"Good morning, Professor Grayson," said a tiny first year girl going the other way.

"Good morning," Eric replied kindly. "We're both a little late for our classes this morning, aren't we?"

"Uh… yes, sir. I'm on my way."

Eric nodded and tried to smile as he passed her; his mind was racing in a mad dash of worried thoughts. _How could Cornelius Fudge do this?_ he fumed angrily. _How could the Ministry of Magic in London even suggest that Albus Dumbledore might do such a thing?_

"Good Morning, Professor," said another third-year girl.

"Get to your class!" Eric barked back.

He remembered staring at himself in the mirror that morning as he tried to shave in preparation for his busy day. He hadn't slept again all night, tormented again by that woman's voice whispering in his mind once more. He couldn't forget her voice. He couldn't get her out of his head. How could he? He could still hear it even now as his own steps echoed down the hall on the stone floors.

"_I love you, Eric. I love you so much."_

While Eric had come to believe the woman invading his dreams might be his mother, his analytical mind was still fighting against accepting this abstract notion. _My mother is dead, gone for more than thirteen years now. Why is this happening to me? _

He remembered waking that morning and tiredly washing his face. Unfortunately, even the cold water could do nothing to stop the sweat from pouring out of him. The voice in his head had been nonstop all night long. He looked up into the mirror again and tried to focus his attention straight, but then watched as his own eyes seemed to change and then found a strange image stared back at him. It was nearly featureless, but clearly a woman with dark hair.

"_You must protect your brother and sisters, Eric, and your father from the evil to come."_

Eric frowned and tried to reach out. "Mother? Is that you? Is it really you, or am I still dreaming?"

"_I am a prisoner, my son, trapped in a place of hateful solitude."_

"Trapped… I don't understand…. trapped where?"

"_I must escape… because he is here with me."_

"Who is with you?"

"_Evil,"_ the image hissed. _"I must escape."_

"I don't understand…" Eric insisted.

"_You must protect her, for she is in very great danger."_

"Protect her? Protect who?"

"_Ssssssssssss…"_the image hissed back.

"Protect who?"

"_Sssssssssssssithmaith…"_

Eric's eyes widened. "Anna? You think Anna is in danger?" He reached out and put his hand on the mirror. "I don't understand!" He could see the veil covering his own face starting to fade.

"_Protect the Sithmaith… only she can free me."_

"I don't understand. Where are you?"

Suddenly, the head of a huge snake with red eyes appeared in the glass before him. It quickly lunged at him with an open mouth full of fangs and slammed into the glass between them. Eric flew back in fear and hit the wall opposite before falling to the floor. He lay there a few seconds, struggling to pull his wand out of his robes and looking up again at the mirror over the sink fully expecting the snake to crawl into his bathroom. He slowly got to his feet to peer into the mirror, but only saw the expected reflection looking back. He reached up to push on the glass just to insure it was solid and then listened closely to the room surrounding him. Everything was quiet. Eric slowly reached down to turn on the faucet on and ten splashed his face again in the cool water before looking up to study himself in the mirror once more. He wiped his face with the towel, turned, grabbed his bag, and then left his apartment wondering if his lack of sleep was putting his sanity at risk.

Eric found himself still lost within his own thoughts of the events that morning as the entrance to his classroom finally came into view at the end of the hallway. Had what he had seen that morning in his mirror been real? He frowned, still thinking he could hear her voice in his head hissing again. Pleading for her escape from… _from what?_ _If the voice was real… then where could she be and where was she being held?_

_IN A PRISON MADE BY THE DARK LORD!_ came a shouted response within his mind. Eric immediately dropped his bag and fell against the stone wall in surprise. He could feel his entire body shaking violently.

"Stop it!" Eric whispered at the hissing voice inside his head. "Please stop…"

"Professor Grayson? Are you alright, sir?" came a concerned voice behind him.

"I thought I told you to get to your class!" Eric yelled back before turning again to find a very pretty seventh-year girl escorted by two Crimson Guards. It was the Student Body President Valentia Olivo.

"Oh… I'm sorry, Val. I thought…" Eric immediately tried to straighten his tousled robes, "I thought you were another student."

The girl came forward looking very concerned. "Are you alright, Eric? You don't look well at all? Should I summon the healer?"

"No — No, that's not really necessary. I just turned my ankle a bit there." He tried to laugh at himself. "That's what I get for being late for my own class and having to rush."

The girl looked at the guard to her left who looked just as concerned as she did. "As you sure you're okay?" she asked him concernedly.

The other guard reached down to pick up his bag and then handed it to him.

"Thank you. Yes… I'm fine, truly." Eric took another deep breath, checking again for the voice within his mind. "Well I'd better be off before my student think I've abandon them. Thank you again."

He turned and headed off as one of the guards leaned in to whisper to the girl, "I don't think he looks well at all."

When Eric walked into the room, Anna could immediately see something was wrong. Her brother's face looked ashen and his usual jovial manner completely absent.

"Okay… quiet down everybody — and find your seats." Eric looked up at the class and the noise level in the room immediately fell away.

Anna slowly stood. "Eric… what's the matter?"

Her brother jerked up at her, his face still pale. He seemed disgusted as looked down at his desk and shook his head. He peered up again and said, "I guess you should hear it from me just as well as anyone else… it'll soon to be in the papers anyway." He took a long breath.

"The Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Albus Dumbledore… has been sacked."

"What?" Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Sacked? But…. Why?" Gabriel asked.

Eric shook his head. "We're not exactly sure yet, but he's been accused by the Minister of Magic in England of building an army to destabilize the government."

"Building an army? I don't believe it!" yelped Teresa Sinclair.

Eric looked around the room again to be sure there were only Guardians present before answering, "Neither do it." He hesitated. "And… I have to be very careful about what I say to you next. It's not a secret to say the Chancellor of Castlewood and Dumbledore are very good friends. Professor Thordarson has been completely and publically supportive of the headmaster's claims that _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ has returned. Now that Dumbledore is on the run, there might be some questions put to Professor Thordarson and perhaps… even his staff as well."

"On the run?" Anna yelped. "What do you mean he's on the run?"

Eric took another calming breath. "Apparently, the Minster tried to arrest him at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore was able to escape. London has already released an educational decree naming another teacher at Hogwarts to the post of headmistress. Her name is Dolores Umbridge."

"Umbridge?" Gabriel said. "I've never heard of her."

"She used to be the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic," Anna replied scathingly, remembering the article in _The Daily Prophet_ she saw on Van Doorn's desk. "She was named Hogwarts High Inquisitor a couple of months ago." She looked at her brother and sneered again. "Educational Decree number twenty-three."

"High Inquisitor?" asked Heather Thomas.

"It doesn't matter," Eric replied. "For now, let's get back to work and do what we can to support our Chancellor here. Open your books to page seven-twenty-nine; we're going to continue our studies of the class-five creatures. What did you think of the input provided by the notable magizoologist Newt Scamander, regarding the bad omen label given to Thestrals?"

Anna slowly raised her hand. Perhaps it was the news of Dumbledore being fired as the Hogwarts Headmaster, but she suddenly felt even more vulnerable than ever.

Eric looked up and frowned, "Yes, Anna, what is it?"

"Eric…uh… Mr. Grayson," she said, in a serious tone of voice, "I saw in your syllabus that you were going to begin our studies on vampires next week… but I was wondering if we might begin those discussions today."

Eric looked at his sister and thought he knew what she was thinking. Since the death of Michael Wendell and then Sidney Heidelbach, Anna had always been suspicious that her mother might have returned to Spellsburg. He looked at Gwen and Sarah Bell sitting next to her and could see the awareness of Anna's request as clear as he.

Eric looked down at his notes. "But we haven't finished our discussions on Thestrals yet and, as you already know, The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures does not classify vampires as creatures anyway. So covering them was supposed to be something we did only as time allowed and I wasn't planning on going very deep on the subject anyway."

Anna looked pleading. "But… I really think the subject is very important… to all of us."

Eric took a deep breath and then tried to look put-upon. "Well… I supposed it's a possibility. What does the rest of the class think? Would anybody mind if we concluded our discussions on Thestrals here and get an early start on vampires in greater detail?"

"That would be great," said an excited Arty Nelson. "I've been waiting for this all year!" And the rest of the class nodded enthusiastically.

Eric looked at Anna again and then nodded. "Very well, then. Open your books to chapter thirty-eight and we'll take a closer look." There was an excited rustle of parchment as Eric turned to begin.

"Now then, there has always been a lot of speculation as to where the name vampire originated." Eric waved his wand at the chalkboard and the word appeared in cursive script. "But it probably came from the word vrykolakas in Greece, or one of its variants: vorvolakas or vourdoulakas, which is a reference to a harmful undead creature in Greek folklore. However, the word _vrykolakas_ is also derived from the Bulgarian word _vǎrkolak_." These terms again were scripted out on the board and Anna could hear several quills eagerly scratching to take notes.

Eric looked again at his sister and could tell she was looking for something much more helpful in the short term. He set his wand down and came around to sit on the front of his desk.

"It's most important to understand that despite most of the silly notions coming out of the Muggle community about what vampirism is, these creatures start out as a witch or a wizard before being infected by the bloodlust transfiguration. This transfiguration can only happen if they are attacked by another vampire and drained of their blood… not to the point of death… but near death.

The Nelson boy raised his hand.

"Yes, Arty? You have a question?"

"Yes, sir. Isn't that why the Ministry doesn't classify vampires as creatures… because they use to be a wizard?"

"That is correct and I'm proud of you for pointing that fact out. Obviously, Vampires are much more evolved than is a creature, because they started their lives as human beings. In fact, vampires are not creatures or beasts at all, but are considered _'beings'_ in much the same way, for example, as Centaurs. As an aside, both centaurs and leprechauns refuse to be called beings, because they equate the term to being human, which is egregiously offending to them. A being is defined as any creature with sufficient intellect to understand the laws of the magical community and actively work to help create those laws. Other beings would include goblins, werewolves and ogres."

Eric looked at Anna again. "Since humans are also beings… then to… are vampires." He looked up at the rest of the class and forced a smile. "That being said, the Ministry of Magic does keep a very close watch on the vampire population and especially those wishing to live among wizards and witches to ensure their bloodlust stays under control and they don't attack innocent bystanders."

"But are vampires still considered a witch or a wizard after they have been transfigured?" Arty asked again. "Are they still magical in any way?"

Eric seemed to struggle with his answer as he looked at Anna again. She looked stoic at her desk, but he could see her nod slightly. He remained uneasy.

"You can probably see that I'm somewhat hesitant to reply. This is because, according to the Ministry of Magic, vampires are no longer considered witches or wizards… but in my mind and in the minds of several experts on the subject that I've had the recent privilege to discuss the matter, many _do_ retain some magical abilities and, in fact, are even enhanced in many ways. Some seem to have hypnotic capabilities that help them to entrance their prey and keep them spellbound. They can also be much faster and stronger than humans, which again, offer them an advantage when they hunt. And I have it on good authority that some can transfigure themselves in ways that help them to hide… perhaps as mist or even smoke."

There was a pause and then Eric seemed to catch himself before looking up again. "There is much we still do not understand about vampires, but after a vast amount of study… here is what I have come to believe: vampires are very powerful physically, but can also be somewhat magical as well. No two are completely alike in their makeup, which explains why most in the wizarding world have some difficulty trusting them. This might be unfair, I know, but like werewolves it is the reality vampires must face today."

"Can they still use a wand?" Arty asked.

Eric shook his head. "The Ministry would say no. However, I don't see any evidence that supports that conclusion. Being that they were once a witch or a wizard in their previous life, their capabilities with a wand might be dependent on whatever training they had prior to being transfigured. If they were a fully qualified wizard prior to being attacked, then I don't understand why they would lose that capability afterward and there is precedence for this with other beings as well. For example, there are numerous cases where werewolves keep their wand capabilities after being bitten and while they remain in their human state."

At the end of class, Eric took his sister aside. "Anna… are you okay?"

Anna shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Your discussion on vampires was very informative — really very good."

Suddenly there was a scream somewhere down the hallway and Eric and Anna had their wands out in a flash.

"Watch out!" somebody yelled, and Eric turned and ducked and then pulled Anna down as a scarlet, clawed hand flew over their heads and then around the corner.

"_Finite__ Chiro…!" _someone tried to yell before they were abruptly cut short. A crowd of laugher was heard bursting out up and down the collider.

Eric smirked before stowing his wand. "Damned Jinx curse again. I wish the Chancellor would just get rid of that thing. It's becoming very disruptive."

Anna was smiling as she pocketed her wand.

"Listen… Anna… Thordarson wants to see you in his office during the lunch break."

"Me? The Chancellor wants to see me? Do you know why?"

"Yes, I do… but I don't want to say anything now in public." Anna suddenly looked concerned. "Don't worry," he added. "Thordarson just wants to talk to you in private about a personal matter."

"Something personal? Can't you even give me a hint?"

A number of students started coming into the room for Eric's next session. He shook his head. "You'd better get to your next class."

After lunch, Anna headed to the Chancellor's office, but before she lifted the heavy ring to knock, she heard voices coming through from the other side.

"Minister, as I've already told you… I have no idea where Albus Dumbledore is right now. If he is, as you say, a man on the run, then I would expect he could be almost anywhere but at another school of wizardry. Why would you expect he was here?"

"Because Elimar… I know how close the two of you are and you would support anything that man says or does."

Anna frowned at the pause.

"It saddens me to know you see me that way, madam. I like to think of myself as a person with his own opinions and never one to default to another man's view of the world."

"Albus Dumbledore is now a fugitive and a criminal. As such, I expect you will inform the Crimson Guard and my office if he ever he tries to contact you. If I cannot count on you in this matter, then it would be my prerogative to remove you from your post."

Anna bit her lip as she waited for the Chancellor's reply.

"Minister… you can be assured… I will always fulfill the duties that bind me to my students and my fellow citizens."

"Your words seem carefully chosen to me, Elimar, but you now clearly understand my expectations. If I find you've been hiding Dumbledore from us… you'll be sharing a cell with the man in Azkaban."

"I certainly understand your intent, Minister, even if they are without merit and groundless."

"Have you captured the Chancellor's response to my order word for word, Gillian?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied her secretary, "word for word."

"Good. Then, Chancellor, you have my counsel and warning."

There was something like a chair being pushed out of the way and Anna could hear footsteps coming toward her. She quickly looked around and decided to hide from the approaching Minister of Magic. A suit of armor stood at attention across the hallway on a marble pedestal and Anna dashed over and forced herself behind it. She could hear the door to Thordarson's office open.

"Good day, Chancellor."

"Good day, Minister, and good luck with your search for the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"_Ex-headmaster_, Elimar. The fugitive Dumbledore is no longer the master of anything now but his own ego and treachery."

The door closed and the click-clack of shoes could be heard moving down the stone staircase and Anna frowned at the strange thumping sound that followed the Minister down. She could hear the Minister's voice grumbling under her breath as the Guardian pushed out of her hiding place.

"I want a copy of your meeting notes on my desk by the end of the day, Gillian, and an affidavit attesting to their accuracy."

"Of course, Minister. You'll have it by the end of the day."

"Elimar had better mind his path or I'll see to it that he's…"

Anna looked over the railing and grumbled angrily to herself as the two voices began to fade away. She frowned… there was the smell of something else following behind them as well. _What is that?_ She thought as she leaned over thinking to test the air again, but the Chancellor's voice stole her attention.

"Please come in, Anna."

Anna looked around and then opened the Chancellor's door to find Thordarson writing at his desk with a large quill. He looked up and grinned broadly.

"Hello, my dear. How very good it is to see you today. I hope you were able to get some lunch before coming upstairs?"

Anna smiled. She always found the Chancellor's demeanor immensely kind no matter the circumstances surrounding him.

"Yes, sir. I was able to grab an apple, so I'm good."

"You are far too generous with what little time my staff gives you between classes, but nonetheless… thank you for coming." He stood and then motioned her toward the empty chair in front of his desk. Anna sat and then watched as the Chancellor lowered himself leisurely on its corner to look at her. He studied her for a moment and then… "I'm sorry you had to hear that little squabble between your aunt and myself. I usually don't allow for eavesdropping, but I thought it important you hear the way of things presently."

Anna frowned and then nodded.

He studied her again. "The Minister can be a very formidable woman. This is especially true when she believes she cannot trust those around her."

"She can't believe Professor Dumbledore would lead an army against the Ministry. That's absolutely ridiculous."

Thordarson smiled at her and then shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." He could see his comment surprised her, so he leaned in furtively. "I have it on pretty good authority… that Albus can be a real rabble-rouser when he puts his mind to it."

Anna was shocked. "Who would say such an idiotic thing?"

Thordarson grinned and then pointed to the other corner of the room behind her. Anna turned and saw a man walking out from the shadows and her eyes widened with surprise.

"I'm afraid your Chancellor is correct, Sithmaith. I have been known at times to cause a lot more trouble than I am worth."

"Professor Dumbledore!"

THREE

Albus Dumbledore was exactly the same as Anna remembered seeing him on the hospital floor before the summer and after her return from Drogo castle. His eyes were a beautiful blue and peered down at her over half-moon spectacles seated atop a very crooked nose. His lengthy gray hair and beard were pulled back and tied over his shoulder, as if he had been traveling.

"It's very good to see you again, Miss Grayson. Professor McGonagall has informed me that she is very pleased with your progress, and your Chancellor says Professor Van Doorn has also agreed to school you on the more…" he leaned down to smile at her, "let's call them exotic capabilities given your status as our first Guardian."

Anna smiled. "Yes, sir. I can't say enough about the extra help McGonagall and Van Doorn has given to me."

"Professors McGonagall and Van Doorn," Dumbledore said, correcting her.

"Um… yes, sir, of course."

He smiled at her again, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction behind his spectacles.

"Professor… the Minister of Magic just left this office not more than five minutes ago," Anna said worriedly. "If she finds out you're here… then the both of you…"

"Not to worry, my dear. As a small boy, Elimar was always very good at wizard dodge-ball. He can be trusted to keep a secret," he looked at the Chancellor and smiled, "and he is a very dear friend."

"But why are you here, sir?" Anna asked him.

Dumbledore turned to her again. "Why? Isn't it obvious? I'm here to see you, my dear." He straightened, as if to assume this was all he needed to say.

"Me? You traveled all this way… just to see me?"

"Yes... I did. You see… I felt I still owe you an explanation for something I said the first time we met."

Anna tried to think back, but nothing immediately came into her mind.

"The last time we spoke, you were in the hospital recovering from some rather severe injuries." Anna's hand moved unconsciously over her throat. "And you will recall… that you asked me how I knew your mother."

Anna frowned.

"I thought it important now to tell you how that came to be." The old man straightened and then thought back.

"Your mother came to Hogwarts with her Aunt, who at the time was your country's Ambassador to England."

"Yes, sir, I know. My mother went to Hogwarts as an exchange student in her sixth year," she answered quickly. Dumbledore looked somewhat surprised so Anna explained, "The Minister of Magic told me before the start of term," she suddenly looked disgusted, "back when she was still a member of my family."

Dumbledore looked at Thordarson significantly. "I did not realize you were already aware of this history. Well then… are you also aware that your mother found a friend while studying at our school? She was acquainted with another young lady, who was originally assigned to be her guide while at Hogwarts and who eventually became one of her closest friends. She was from the same house Victoria Jennings was sorted into upon her arrival at my school."

Anna shook her head.

"Victoria Jennings was sorted into _Gryffindor_ _House_ and the friend she eventually met there… was Lily Evans."

Anna stared her him unknowingly.

"Have you ever heard that name before now?"

Anna shook her head. "No… sir."

"After your mother completed her year of study at Hogwarts, she left to go back home to California, but Victoria and Lily remained very close friends. A few months after Lily graduated from Hogwarts, she invited your mother to come back for her wedding. You see… Lily Evans was to become Lily Potter and your mother served as Lily's maiden of honor at the wedding."

"Potter?" Anna answered.

"Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Lily married James Potter… and eventually the two of them had a son…"

"Harry!" Anna yelped in surprise.

Dumbledore smiled "That's right — a very happy event in the lives of Lily and James, two remarkable young people that I was personally honored to call my friends after they left Hogwarts." Dumbledore walked to the window to gaze out into the city beyond. "Victoria Jennings remained very close to Lily and James." He looked back at her. "So much so, that she was asked to be young Harry's Godmother."

Anna's jaw dropped. "My mother was Harry Potter's Godmother? I… I had no idea..."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not many people do, I'm afraid. The times… being what they were… forced us to keep many things a secret. The only reason I know is because I was at the Christening."

Anna let this information flow over her mind. As it was with any new information relating to her mother, Anna was surprised and sometimes… even astonished. Dumbledore finally turned to face her again.

"Anna, do you remember what I said to you when I saw you in the hospital? I asked you then not to impose yourself in the struggle to come. Do you remember?"

Anna's stare darkened. "Yes, Headmaster… I do."

The old wizard slowly came forward. "Anna… I pray to take my advice to heart. Despite whatever information you might come to understand about your mother… and Voldemort's role in her fall, you and the rest of the Guardians here at Castlewood must remain steadfast in your role as the protectors of magic. The gifts we wizards enjoy are indeed rare, but always at risk by the chaos of war. I beg your promise… that you will do all you can to remain diligent to your cause and separate from these forces now moving to face one another."

Anna frowned. She studied the man, one of the greatest wizards who had ever lived, but she could see it in his eyes. There was something he wasn't telling her and he seemed fearful to share it.

Her stare bore into him and Dumbledore could suddenly feel an immense pressure, a massive probing for the truth that the girl was unknowingly pressing into him. She had no wand in her hand and yet it took all of the man's skill as a learned wizard to hold her probe back without showing his distress. She was indeed very powerful, more so than she could know herself.

"Why did you risk coming to Castlewood, Headmaster? What is it you're not telling me?"

The pressure in his skull was getting stronger and Dumbledore could see the girl had no idea of its magnitude. It took all of this strength to break his gaze away from her as he turned to stare out the window again.

"There is more, Anna, but I pray you remember your role in all of this before I tell you the rest. You must be given more time, time enough to find the healing path of acceptance before you act without regard to yourself, your family and your fellow Guardians."

_The healing path of acceptance…_ Anna had heard these words once before from the Great Ape of the Verosapt. She looked at Dumbledore again.

"Tell me… please."

Dumbledore took a reluctant breath. "As you know, Voldemort kidnapped your mother… but what you don't know is the reason why."

Anna swallowed hard. "My mother told me it was because… Voldemort wanted to kill my father, for of his refusals to stop working with the Muggles."

"Well… yes, that was always one of Voldemort's ambitions, but that was not the reason he took your mother."

Anna could already feel the tears beginning to burn in her eyes and she was suddenly unsure she wanted to know whatever truth might come next. Dumbledore could see her struggling already.

"I think it's important that you know the truth, Anna, because I wouldn't want you to be caught off guard and surprised if ever…" he hesitated and Anna quickly looked at him.

"If ever… what, sir?"

Dumbledore looked at Thordarson who nodded back encouragingly. The Headmaster looked at her again. "If ever… you should meet Voldemort in the flesh."

Anna was horrified. Face to face with those snake-like eyes she had seen within Van Doorn's curse; the flattened, colorless skin stretched over something dead but still living against all of God's meaningful design. How in the world would it ever happen that she would be in Voldemort's presence? Something bumped Anna in the back and she quickly looked about to find the office wall behind her. Her body had unknowingly retreated from the thought of it, and the very idea swept her courage away like a broom to the morning dust.

Anna swallowed hard and then reached back for the comfort of the castle's stones. The voices of magic were waiting for her and she closed her eyes when she heard their voices weaving their way into her mind.

"The protector is afraid!"

_Yes… so afraid_, she replied wordlessly.

"What is it that sets your fears against the jagged rocks of worry and doubt, Sithmaith?" they asked her, but she could tell they already knew the answer. Those small pieces of the whole, simple shards of glass owing to the greater pane unseen… they already knew.

_I fear… him._

"The Dark Lord… yes… we fear him as well."

_You? But… how is it you would fear anything?_

"The One who is divine provides strengh… that we may protect ourselves. In the One's own way, given what we are, given what we know, and… we know you, Sithmaith. Oh… we know you as we know us. Yet we fear the Dark Lord, as we fear those who would fight against his fuming ambitions. We… fear him… and thus… you cannot. You are our strength, little one… you… our courage."

Anna's eyes widened. In all she knew about her role as a Guardian, she never expected this, never realized she would be the one thing magic needed to survive. There was something they needed from her, a thing not created by them. It came from her mother, on one side in this battle, and from her father on the other in the war to come. In its own way, and perhaps with God's help, the stings that made up the symphony they called magic had weaved something to become the Sithmaith, but now it was clear they needed to start with the one thing they could not bring about within the trumpets and drums that made them what they were.

"We fear… and so it is… that you cannot."

Magic was seeking a protector, a leader for the Guardians to come, but even the giant redwoods Anna knew on Grayson Hill got their start from the most humble beginnings, a single seed that could produce what would come be. The seed needed to be nurtured, fed and watered, yes, but their strength was there from the very beginning, given to them by God and their parents.

"We fear… so you must not."

They needed her strength… they needed her courage. She couldn't be afraid any more.

She thought of the words in some forgotten dream. _Fear not, my friends… for I will be your mettle. _

"The protector is so very brave!"

Anna opened her eyes to find Professor Thordarson bending down to look at her, his eyes level with hers.

"You hear them… don't you," he whispered. "You hear them speaking to you through the very stones of this castle. Remarkable."

Anna raised her hands and the whispers from the stones ceased. She stepped to the side of the Chancellor to look up at Dumbledore again.

"Tell me now, Headmaster. Tell me what you've come here to say."

Dumbledore smiled. He could see it in the Sithmaith's eyes: her strength and determination to remain resilient and wearing against the coming storm.

"Tell me the real reason _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ took my mother. What was he after if not my father?"

Dumbledore removed his spectacles and then a handkerchief to clean the lenses.

"Sir… please."

The old man heaved again. "Your mother was taken, and tortured, because Voldemort had come to believe she might be the _Secret Keeper_ of the knowledge that would lead him to James and Lily Potter and their infant son."

Anna frowned. "Their _Secret Keeper_? I don't understand. Why would they need a _Keeper_?"

Dumbledore looked at Thordarson again.

"Tell her Albus… she has a right to know."

Dumbledore hesitated. "Voldemort wanted to kill young Harry for reasons I'm not at liberty to share at the moment, and he was informed by one of the Death Eaters supporting him that there were three possible _Keepers_ to the Potter's secret location. One of them was a man by the name of Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather. The second was your mother, but there was a third who, as it turned out, was the actual _Keeper_, a man by the name of _Peter Pettigrew."_

_Anna frowned, for she had heard that name once before. When she was with her father at the Ministry of Magic, he had spoken to Sidney Heidelbach about this man Pettigrew. Her father said it was through this man that Voldemort was continuing to interfere with his dealings and with the Muggles. _

_"__Pettigrew was working for Voldemort?" Anna surmised quickly._

_Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed… he was, and he was the one that betrayed Lily and James, an act that eventually led to their deaths. But before Pettigrew was able to reveal their secret to his master, Victory Jennings was taken." He dropped his head. "After Voldemort had broken your mother's mind and soul through torture, after he was convinced Victoria was not the __Secret Keeper__ he was seeking, he then decided to use her in yet another attempt to destroy Boris Grayson."_

_Silence fell into the room and Anna felt sick to her stomach. Now she knew the rest of the story. Her mother had been destroyed in the attempt to kill the Potters. "Oh my god," she whispered, as her stomach lurched and heaved and she had to reach out to the walls again to keep herself upright. _

_Dumbledore came forward quickly. "I struggled with my decision to share this information with you, Anna, because the __Order of the Phoenix__ has come to know Voldemort is very interested in you and why the Guardians have come into the Wizarding world once more. He is renowned for using every advantage to strengthen his ambitions. Your paths will, I am sure, cross one another at some point in the near future, and when they do… he is very likely to use some twisted version of the truth about your mother against you… as a way, perhaps, to put you off your guard or to corrupt you entirely. You had to be told the truth by somebody who wouldn't use it as a weapon against you and to give you enough time to absorb it into your consciousness."_

Anna tried to remain brave. She walked to the window and looked out into the flowering courtyard below her. To meet Voldemort face to face, the man who destroyed her mother and tried numerous times to kill her father, who did kill so many to create his horcruxes and make himself immortal. _What chance would I have against such a wicked fiend? _

She looked at Thordarson and then to Dumbledore. "I appreciate you coming all this way to tell me about my mother, Headmaster, and I pray you remain safe in the days ahead."

She turned to stare out the window again and Dumbledore smiled as he bowed to her. He could see the girl was desperate to remain steadfast in her courage, and once again her bravery reminded him of another student back at Hogwarts.

FOUR

That evening at dinner Anna was quiet.

"So… are you going to tell us what Chancellor Thordarson wanted?" Gwen whispered to her.

Anna looked over at her friend and then to Sarah on Gwen's other side. Both of them looked very concerned. Anna tried to force a smile.

"Oh… it was nothing…" she lied. "It was a message from my father about the upcoming Easter break. Since we only get a couple of days off from school, daddy might come back to Spellsburg to share the holiday with the family." She tried to sound casual.

"The Chancellor delivered a personal message from your father?" Gwen couldn't believe it. "Wouldn't an owl have done just as well?"

"I'm really going to miss being home for Easter," Sarah put in. "I really enjoy coloring eggs."

"Coloring eggs?" Gwen flinched. "What the devil are you talking about?"

Before Sarah could explain, the doors to the Great Rotunda flew open and in walked a small squad of Crimson Guards being led by the Minister of Magic and Lieutenant Dunning following close behind.

Anna immediately jumped to her feet, as if to challenge the intrusion while everybody else in the room looked on in amazement.

"That's the Minister of Magic."

"Wow… what's she doing here?"

The woman marched straight up to the head table where the Chancellor sat serenely eating his evening meal.

"Madam Minister?" Thordarson said, wiping his mouth with his napkin before standing to bow low. "I can assure you, Minister, Albus hasn't been seen since last we spoke just a few hours ago."

"I'm not here to discuss anything with you, Chancellor. I'd like to say something to our students, if you don't mind," she said curtly.

Thordarson bowed again and then sat back down as the Minister of Magic turned to put her wand to her throat. "Attention — please, may I have your attention?"

Nobody in the Rotunda immediately went quiet.

"For those who may not know me, I am Helawena Barkelnap… the Minister of Magic." There were a few gasps in the crowd of students, which seemed to please the Minister as she paused importantly again before beginning.

"I have come here tonight to speak to you about some gossip and unsubstantiated rumors. I am sure you've heard the stories or seen the articles in the newspapers about a certain unnamed wizard… dead for more than fourteen years… who is said to have returned to the wizarding world. I am here tonight to assure you… that this is a lie. No magic, indeed no power anywhere can bring a man back from the dead. This rumor was started by the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And for his trouble… Albus Dumbledore has been sacked for dishonesty to his students and for spreading these malicious lies throughout our community. Dumbledore is now a fugitive and will be arrested for these crimes and for panicking the population as soon as possible."

She slowly looked around the room to insure every student was listening. "This is the punishment awaiting anybody spreading such hateful fabrications. I say again… _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_… cannot come back from the dead!"

"Less'if'in he was never dead ta start with!" came a voice in reply somewhere along the Guardian table.

The Minister suddenly looked infuriated. "Who said that?!" She marched down the center aisle between the tables. "I want to know who said that? Show yourself!"

Nobody moved, nobody answered. The Minister looked down each of the tables in turn and then sneered. "From now on… any student saying something like that on school grounds will be expelled!"

"Madam Minister," the Chancellor's voice sounded, and when she turned she found Thordarson standing in the aisle behind her.

"I believe you have made your point. We have all heard you clearly enough; will there be anything else?"

The woman turned your nose up at him and then whirled to face the students again. "_He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named _has not returned to the wizarding world. This is a lie!" she shouted.

"Are you sure, Minister?" said a voice from the back and the Minister whirled again to find her Crimson escort parting to show Anna standing behind them.

Barkelnap moved quickly through the guards to stand before Anna. "You of all people should know better than to ask me such a question."

Anna stepped up to the Minister. "Then… madam… can I ask you another?"

The Minister's expression darkened. "You may ask me anything you wish, my dear… but be mindful of the announced consequences!"

Anna's face remained cool, but deep inside her chest she could feel a series of alarms bells banging against her ribcage. There was a smell on the woman that Anna immediately recognized and the existence of it on the Minister's person shocked the Guardian. It was an odd aroma, something Anna knew she had smelled before… but now she knew. The smell moved through her chest like a hunger, making her lungs rumble and heat up.

Anna stepped closer to the woman and actually leaned in to breath deep and then she growled in response under her breath. She knew what it was and where she had smelled it before.

"_Dragons!"_

The Minister of Magic had the smell of dragons upon her. It was very subtle, so much so that nobody but a Guardian could possibly detect it. More than that, it was the same smell she had sensed in the city when she was tracking the limping man. Anna jerked back in surprise at this realization and then she finally remembered something else. When she was tracking the limping man through the city, she had convinced herself she had smelled the odd odor somewhere before that time as well. It was the first day she had gone with her father to the Ministry of Magic and to visit the Minister in her office. That was the place she had first come into contact with the scent of dragons.

"_But how could this be? How could the Minister have the scent of dragons upon her person? Was she working with the limping man? Did she know him? What was the connection?"_

"Well?" the Minister whispered angrily, "you said you had another question?"

Anna was taken aback. She had almost forgotten what she wanted to say, but now she was both angry and suspicious of the woman. She thought about it and then, "You say _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ has not returned and so… he cannot also be the one responsible for all the unexplained disappearances we've heard about in England. You've also accused the greatest wizard of our time, Albus Dumbledore, of being a liar and Harry Potter a self-centered fraud." There were a few low murmurs heard around them.

The Minister tilted in closer. "Be careful, young lady…"

Anna's eyes moved to Thordarson standing behind her and she could see him vaguely shaking his head. She looked squarely into the Minister's stare once more and breathed deep the smell of dragons once more. The Guardian growled loud enough for the Minister to hear her and then unknowingly loosened a wave of pressure into the woman's skull that forced her to step back.

"I ask you now, Minister… would you bet the life of your family on that opinion that _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named _has not returned?"

The woman eyes narrowed indignantly.

"Careful, madam…" Anna added quickly, "I say again… the life… of your family?"

The Minister tried to step forward again, but the pressure against her was growing. Her eyes widened as the sheer power of the young girl's stare became crushing. _How was this happening? She has no wand in her hand. How could this young girl have such ability — to unspool so much power? _As her mind searched for an answer, only one response clearly made any sense. The first Guardian in more than fifteen hundred centuries was standing right there before her. Was Anna Grayson truly what she, the Minister, had suspected but refused to admit? _Was this power real, some of the oldest magic known to the wizarding world?_ The pain in her head was growing fast.

Anna leaned in. "Would you… put your family… at risk against even the remote possibility that you might be wrong?" the Guardian whispered to her.

The woman fell back again and then suddenly whipped out her wand.

"IT'S A LIE!" she barked loudly, as she pointed her wand down at Anna. The Guardian never flinched and snarled back at her.

"Minister!" Dunning and Thordarson yelled together, as the lieutenant grabbed the woman's arm to stop her.

Helawena Barkelnap glared at Dunning; that he would put a hand on her came as a shock. She looked down at Anna once more and sneered, and then she seemed to catch herself before ripping her arm out of Dunning's grip. The Minister looked around at the sea of faces staring at her and then quickly stowed her wand. She then leaned in to whisper something into Dunning's ear before turning to leave the Rotunda and the rest of the Crimson escort fell in line to follow her. Dunning remained and then turned to whisper something to Thordarson. The students could see the Chancellor looking appalled by what the lieutenant was saying but then reluctantly nodded.

Anna turned to leave the Rotunda as well but was stopped short.

"Anna Grayson!"

Anna straightened and then slowly turned to look back at Dunning.

"By order of the Minister of Magic, you are suspended from Castlewood Academy for one week and will serve that week in detention down in the Dungeons. There was a loud gasp from the crowd of students.

"Guards!" he hollered, and two Crimson-cloaked men stepped forward.

"Take her below!"

248


	32. Chapter 30 - The Knights of Walpurgis

Chapter 30D06

Chapter 30 (Draft 06)

The Knights of Walpurgis

ONE

Anna wasn't exactly happy about her time in the dungeons, but in the weeks that followed, she always felt the experience was worth standing up to the Minister of Magic. Although Captain Hayman and her father were very not pleased with her public display of dissent, Anna remained defiant. Her only disappointment was missing the Easter holiday with her family. She was allowed one visitor each day for thirty minutes, but the Chancellor, who seemed overly amused by the entire incident, put the Graysons together Easter morning for more than an hour in an adjoining room. Unfortunately, Anna's father used most of that time to admonish her for openly challenging the Minister.

Damon was strangely discomforted at seeing his sister behind bars, which seemed odd to Anna until she realized he was more concerned about their family's reputation than any discomfort the dungeons had brought to her. Dowla on the other hand, having fully recovered from her injuries, appeared more impressed than ashamed by her incarceration. In the twins' eyes, Anna's imprisonment was the lasting evidence they needed to prove she was related to them after all.

To her surprise, Anna found that Eric was impressed with her arrest as well. Several months later, her brother would admit the incident was the first example of real leadership for the sake of the Guardians he had seen in Anna.

After the holiday, Anna remained in the dungeons for another three days, during which Lieutenant Dunning sought to increase her misery by placing a Crimson Guard outside her cell with an order to read aloud the Academy charter and the by-laws governing the students and their behavior while at school. Although most of the guards seemed to think the exercise was something beneath the dignity of any student at Castlewood, they did not fall short of the order. This was especially true given that Dunning was in the dungeons three to four times a day to insure his instructions were being followed to the letter, but Anna had come to the conclusion that Dunning's visits had a second, more meaningful motive behind them.

Perhaps he wasn't exactly sure his dungeon could really hold the first Guardian, given his belief that she had both broken into and then out of Drogo prison while under his watch. The thought of Dunning worrying about her escape had given Anna an unexpected level of amusement during the ordeal.

Debbie Dunning came to see Anna during her incarceration as well and she even took a turn to read the Academy by-laws to her. In fact, the girl took up three of Anna's allowed visits to taunt her until Eric's complaints to the Lieutenant finally put an end to her torments. In the end, Anna spent a majority of the time worrying about how far she was falling behind in her studies and listening to the whispered voices of magic coming from the stones surrounding her. They sang to her in her dreams, in rhymes about Merlin and a chorus of beautiful hymns fitting the order and its heroes of the past. The songs made Anna smile even as she slept, and each morning she awoke to find herself inspired enough to set aside most of her doubts and even Dumbledore's warnings that someday she would have to face Voldemort.

Anna was more concerned than ever about the Minister of Magic. Although it had always been clear that the Minister would work against the Guardians for insinuating the war between Voldemort and the Ministry was inevitable, it had never occurred to Anna that the Minister might also be corrupt. The Guardian just couldn't understand why the Minister, of all people, would have the scent of dragons upon her. And not just any dragons; for Anna had also come to the conclusion that what she had detected on the Minister was exactly what she had sensed on the limping man; Vipertooth eggs. While there might have been some kind of explanation if it had only been the scent of dragons… Anna couldn't think of an explanation for the Minister having the smell of dragon eggs on her person, least of all Vipertooth eggs, on two distinct occasions separated by months. Was the Minister somehow in league with this yet unknown limping man?

On the last night of her imprisonment, Anna awoke to a strange set of whispers that seemed to invade her dreams over the singing stones like an echoed whine. In time, Anna would come to believe the stones had actually quieted themselves and allowed the whispers coming from the other side of the dungeon to pinch her consciousness. Three words in particular made her eyes fly open in the darkness.

"The Dragon's Lair."

Anna jerked up quickly and the choir within the stones immediately halted. She looked over from her bed and at the barred door embedded within the walls surrounding it and she squinted through the gloom to listen with focused attention. She couldn't hear anything, but somehow she knew about the two men whispering at the other end of the long dungeon hallway. Her nostrils flared as her lips stretched across her teeth, and an angry snarl rose from out her throat.

She got to her feet and tiptoed across the floor to look out, her mind focused intently on the door at the other end opposite, and then her eyes carefully scanned the long hallway between them. The other cell doors on the left and right were left open and set to the side. Only her room and the one at the other end were occupied. Suddenly, she could hear the whispering again and she pressed her face hard into the bars to listen. Their words were being suppressed and barely perceptible.

Anna looked intently around at the bars blocking her way and at the hinges and the welds holding them together; she pulled back on the steal to test their strength. The door was unmovable and enchanted to remain that way. She growled under her breath again as the whispers continued.

Two minutes later, the Lethifold was winding its way across the dungeon ceiling and heading for the locked cell on the other side. The whispers were getting louder as she approached and the creature froze when a face suddenly peered out from between the bars. The features of the man seemed familiar to her, but Anna's concentration was hampered by the deeper needs given the creature she had become. From every crevice and fracture within the stones surrounding her, it could smell the scent of prey.

_Food!_

When the man was convinced nobody was listening, he fell back into the darkness of his cell and the Lethifold slipped easily between the bars above him to follow. She spread herself wide across the ceiling; only the moonlight streaking through the grilled window offered enough light to see the two men huddled together in a corner.

"Are you crazy?" one man whispered to the other.

"Why not? They're offering us a chance to avoid Azkaban if we just tell them what we know!"

"Don't be stupid. You can't really believe that."

There was a sharp squeak heard in the hallway outside. "What was that?"

The second man leaned over to look through the bars again and then returned.

"Rats — nasty devils are looking to strip the flesh from our bones when we sleep."

The first man reached over to grab his friend by the shoulders. "We have to stay together on this… don't tell them anything!"

The other man shook his head. "But we can't go to Azkaban for five years. Who do you know that's ever been there that long and survived?"

"We'll just have to take our chances… that's all there is to it!" the first man grumbled back.

"But we're talking five years… for stealing a few eggs from the Cliffs of Knowtor!" The second man shook his head again. "It might as well be a death sentence for the both of us. I know I won't survive it."

The Lethifold ballooned with rage as thick trunks of blackness reached out like clawed appendages downward toward the prisoners. It took all of Anna's strength to pull back, but only after the part of her that remained human finally recognized the two men below her. They were the wizards arrested in the city; two of the original three who had survived the dragons' attack after stealing their eggs.

"I know you can't see it now… but Azkaban would be a far better choice than betraying those who hired us to go into the Shadowed Forest. For God's sake, you should be thinking about your parents. You've heard the threats. Any informant labeled a traitor puts their family at risk.

"But how do even we know those threats are real?"

"Do you want to take that chance and put your mother in the path of the snatchers?" The first man grabbed his friend again. "Listen, you and I made hundreds of galleons for the eggs we took from the those nests. What good would all of that gold do our families if they're found dead in their beds?"

The man fell back against the wall and then slowly looked out at the moon through the window. "We knew the risks, we took the chance, we made some money, but we got caught." He looked at his friend again. "It's a hard thing… but it is what it is, and we'll have to take whatever punishment they decide to give to us for our trouble."

The second man rolled onto the cold floor and heaved. "And we were so close to the big score too."

There was a pause and then the other replied, "Yeah… I know. The rest of the team will be going back out to the Lair three days before the ships leave to take the children home again."

His friend heaved again. "One hundred eggs. Wow…" he whispered, longingly. "Tens of thousands of galleons… and we're stuck in here."

Anna's mind was buzzing. _One hundred eggs! No… they can't!_

The creature ballooned again and reached for one of the men in the darkness. It halted once more when the first man suddenly whispered back. "Just put it out of your mind. It won't give you any comfort given what's soon coming to us."

From the center of the blackness that was the Lethifold, Anna's face was visible and blackened tears were slowly stretching down and then up again.

"Have you ever wondered what they're doing with all of those eggs?" the second man asked the first.

There was a long pause as the features of Anna's face were absorbed once more.

"I asked one of the snatchers that question once," the other man whispered back, "during the last delivery."

The second man looked over. "And?"

"I got the impression he really didn't know, because they were buying them for someone else."

The second man looked surprised. "Someone else? Who?"

"He wouldn't give me a name, but…" his friend looked over at him, "I remember he called the buyer _the_ _collector_ and… he said this man wasn't reselling the eggs for profit. They had another, much greater purpose for them." The man telling the story stared unknowingly back up at Anna in the ceiling. "The collector said the eggs were to be used in the great war to come."

Although Anna had forced some control over the creature's deadly ambitions, she was immediately tossed into the well of her most frightening memories. 'The war to come'… she knew was the war between Voldemort and his supporters against the rest of the Wizarding World. The coming of this war was the reason magic had brought the Sithmaith into existence in the first place, the first Guardian since the time of Merlin to act as its protector from the madness to come.

"What war?" the other man shot back incredulously.

His friend shrugged. "The snatcher didn't know, but he called the collector something else during one of our exchanges." The man looked over at his friend again. "He called him a Knight of Walpurgis."

"A Knight of… of what?"

"Walpurgis." The man slowly sat up to look over. "You ever hear of them?"

"No."

The man telling the story solemnly shook his head. "I've only ever heard the reference one other time and it was during the trials after the death of _You-Know-Who._ I heard the Director of Wizard Law Enforcement reference the Knights of Walpurgis by another name in court: they were also known as… the Death Eaters.

The other man gasped and then quickly sat up to stare back at his friend. "What? Wait a minute… are you saying one of _You-Know-Who's_ old Death Eaters is buying all of these eggs? Is that what you're telling me?"

His friend shrugged cautiously. "All I'm saying is the snatcher who bought our eggs was doing so on behalf of a Walpurgis collector."

"But you also said they were doing this as a prelude to war! Does anybody else know about this?"

"Nobody is supposed to know. Honestly, I always thought he said it just to scare us into keeping our mouths shut if ever we got caught." He looked over again. "If the threat of snatchers against our family wasn't worrisome enough, then the mention of a Death Eater might deliver an even stronger message."

"But… if that were true… if they were just trying to scare us… then we all would have heard it. Do you think the snatcher was lying or maybe just boasting?"

The other man stopped to think, his eyes returning to the moon now in full view outside the window. "I don't know; I don't think so. The snatcher seemed afraid of the collector too." He looked back down at his friend. "All the more reason to keep your mouth shut, because if it is true… then our families would be in even greater danger than we know. I don't want to take any chances that…" There was a loud squeal outside the door.

"What the…?" one of the men stood to look out.

The second man crowded in next to the other to see several rats scattering in every direction across the floor and into the open cells down the hallway. Suddenly, the silhouette of something very large caught their eye in the ceiling before melting into the shadows.

They looked at each other and then down at the cell on the other side of the dungeon. A set of glowing eyes were staring back at them through the bars and a low rumble could be heard reverberating through the floor under their feet. The two men fell back and then turned took look fearfully into the ceilings as the echoed growl rumbled on. When it finally stopped, they peered out again down the hallway, but the eyes they thought they saw looking back were gone.

Anna was finally released the following Thursday morning to the cheers of her fellow Guardians in the Union Hall, which also included two unexpected visitors. Valeria Ines was there along with one other.

"John!"

John Dell was smiling broadly even as he leaned on a cane to keep his massive frame upright. Anna rushed over to hug him tightly.

"I've been so worried about you," she sobbed into his middle.

"Worried?" he answered back with a chuckle. "You've been sitting in a dungeon cell all week… and you've been worrying about me?" He laughed again.

Anna smiled up at him and then shrugged. "Nothing better to do when you're down there but to worry." She hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're out of the hospital. You and Trog… you saved my life."

Looking embarrassed, the large man gently laid a heavy arm across her shoulders to hug her back. Then, appearing somewhat irritated, he pushed her straight again.

"On another matter… I need to speak to you about your father's charity. It wasn't necessary for him to pay me more than the agreed amount for taking this job. You must convince him to take it back."

Anna frowned and then looked over at Valeria.

"Your father called it, 'hazard pay'," she said with a smile. She looked up at John Dell with tears sparkling in her eyes. "And I've been trying to convince him that he earned every knut of it."

"Yes… but five thousand galleons. It's preposterous!"

Anna smiled, and as she reached out to hug him once more and whispered, "Whatever my father gave you… it wasn't nearly enough."

TWO

"Trog? Are you there?"

It was late in the evening, and Anna was peering through the iron portcullis and to the empty drawbridge on the other side.

"Anna… we shouldn't be out of the Guardian Tower after curfew… never mind outside the castle. What are we doing out here?"

Anna turned to look over her shoulder at Gwen, Sarah Bell and Gabriel, standing in the courtyard entranceway behind her. "I already told you… I have to speak to Trog. It's urgent that I tell him what they're planning to do!" Anna whispered back.

Although Gabriel had agreed to escort Anna to the front gate, she was clearly having second thoughts.

"Gwen is right, Anna. This was a mistake. You've already told Captain Hayman about the smugglers plans to raid the Dragon's Lair again. This isn't necessary."

"The Guardian Knight is correct, she is, little one."

Anna turned to look up into the frowning features of Trog's enormous face looking in. She smiled.

"There you are… I thought maybe you didn't get my message."

The ogre glared through at the other guardians behind her. "The Captain sent an owl into the forest about the egg thieves, he did. I have been keeping vigilance in all the valley passageways, and Glors sniffs and growls at the trampled roots leading to the cliffs. But… it is unnecessary, it is." He looked into the moonlit sky over their heads. "The winged ones can smell the thieves' treachery well enough now, they can, and long before their greed reaches the cliffs."

Trog peered down at Anna again and smiled. "Still… your warnings are worthy of your post, Guardian, they are."

Anna looked back at her friends and then up to Trog again. "I also needed to see you tonight because I wanted to ask you about something else."

Trog lifted a curious brow. "What — _something else_?"

Anna thought about her words guardedly and then, "Trog… how long have the smugglers been stealing from the nests?"

Trog seemed surprised by the question. Gabriel came forward and was quickly followed by Gwen and Sarah Bell.

Anna grabbed the iron bars in the gate separating them. "I mean… I never heard about the smugglers in my first year. When did they start going into the Shadowed Forest?"

The ogre looked curiously at the other girls standing next to her. "It began last summer, it did… soon after the wizard children left the school to return home."

Anna pressed her face into the rusted steel. "Are you sure, Trog. It's vital I know exactly when it started."

"Why, Anna?" Gwen said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Why does it matter?"

Trog thought about it again. "Glors said the winged ones started their songs of lament during the first full moon of summer, they did."

Anna turned to Gabriel. "So… it was in June."

The Guardian Knight shrugged. "I suppose that sounds about right… so… what of it?"

Ignoring her, Anna turned to look out again. "Trog… I'd like you to tell me… about the first time it happened?"

The ogre cocked his head to the side, looking curious again. Even in the shadows he could see something changing in Anna's face; he could sense the anger in her growing. The green in the young girl's eyes had turned black. Trog's expression fell. It was like looking into liquid wrath.

"It happened before, didn't it Trog? Years ago…? More than ten years ago?"

Trog looked at the other Guardians standing beside her again. "How did you know?" he finally answered.

"And wouldn't you say that it stopped around…" Anna hesitated, "around the time I was born?"

Trog looked away to think. "I… do not know…" Anna could see the creature thinking hard, struggling to remember.

"Think, Trog. It's so important that I know," she pleaded.

"Anna… what is going on?" Gwen finally turned Anna by the shoulders to look at her. "Why are you asking about… OH MY GOD!"

Now Gwen could now see it too: the white of Anna's eyes were completely black and beads of ebony sweat covered her forehead. It looked like blood in the moonlight. Gwen jerked back in fear when she saw threads of black reaching out of the droplets to snatch at her.

"What's happening to you?"

Gabriel and Sarah Bell quickly looked in.

"Oh no…" Sarah whispered. "Anna… it… it…it's happening again… wh… wh… what should we do?"

Alarmed, the young girl quickly looked around. She saw the fountain in the courtyard and ran over to dip the sleeve into the water. She returned and then pressed the cloth into Anna's forehead.

"This sh… sh… should help."

Trog's eyes were wide with wonder as he watched through the portcullis gate.

Anna seemed to go rigid, seized by the sudden coldness pressing into her face. "No… don't…" Anna whispered. "I have to know… and… only Trog can tell me."

And then, to everybody's surprise, they watched in amazement as Anna's body melted into a pool of blackness at their feet.

"What in God's name?" Gabriel yelped.

The four of them watched as the pool slid under the iron gate and then elongated itself once more to stand upright. A few seconds later, Anna was on the other side reaching out to Trog.

"Please tell me, Trog. Tell me about the first time years ago when the smugglers were stealing from the Cliffs of Knowtor."

Anna sat down in a manner one does when conversing with ogres and Trog quickly squatted to join her. They sat cross-legged, facing each other, as they whispered urgently back and forth. Gwen was straining to hear what they were saying until Gabriel reached out to Sarah Bell.

"Will you please explain to me what just happened? How did Anna Grayson do that?"

"She's an Animogus," Gwen answered back.

The Guardian Knight scowled back. "What!?" She looked at Sarah suspiciously. "No!"

Sarah Bell looked over at Anna whispering to Trog on the other side of the gate. Even in the seated position, the ogre was much taller than all the girls watching them. Obviously, if her roommate had wanted to keep her ability to change a secret, she wouldn't have done it right in front of their Guardian Knight.

Sarah looked at Gabriel again and then nodded. "She is."

Gabriel was incredulous. "But that's impossible. The only other Animogus known to exist is…"

"Professor Minerva McGonagall," Gwen answered quickly. "She's the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"I know who she is, damn it!" Gabriel fired back. "Everybody knows who McGonagall is. She one of only seven Animagi ever known to exist in the last hundred years!"

"And… she's also Anna's mentor." Gwen replied. "She was assigned to help Anna by the Headmaster at Hogwarts when Anna's family found out she could change."

"What?" Gabriel sputtered, disbelievingly. "Are you serious? But… how long has she been able to do it?"

Gwen looked at Sarah Bell and shrugged.

"Since before she came to Castlewood," Sarah answered. "I saw her do it in our dorm room soon after her house elf came to live with us. She doesn't do it very often."

Gwen peered out at Anna again. "I'm her best friend… I've known her ever since we were children living in California… and this is the first time I've ever seen her do."

"Gabriel… please… you can't tell anybody about this," Sarah pleaded nervously. "If everybody found out she was an Animogus… then…"

"Then she would be forced to register that fact with the Ministry of Magic," Gabriel finished.

Gwen and Sarah nodded.

"Her father and Professor Thordarson think it best to keep it a secret while Anna is still in school. They don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to her," Sarah added.

"Thordarson knows?" Gabriel shot back.

"Yes… of course he knows," Gwen said. "He and the Headmaster of Hogwarts know about it and they both agree that, for now, Anna shouldn't reveal his skill while at Castlewood."

Gabriel suddenly found it difficult to focus. In all the years at the school, she had never known or even suspected that the Chancellor might be a party of something illegal. She looked over at Anna still sitting in front of the enormous ogre. "But she's so young," she mumbled.

"Who is that down there?" yelled a voice above their heads and all three girls quickly fell back into the shadows.

"Oh no… it's one of the Crimson guards on the upper wall," Gwen whispered. "We're doomed!"

Gabriel put a finger to her lips. "Shhh… leave it to me." She suddenly stepped out.

"It's just me, sir."

"What? Who goes there?"

"It's Laroche, sir."

"Laroche? Gabriel… what are you doing out here?"

"My duties, of course. I was checking to make sure the gates are secure."

"But the duties outside this week are the responsibility of the Defender Knights — not the Guardians."

"They are? I thought it was our week."

"No… they're not, which means you are out of bounds after curfew, young lady. I suggest you get yourself back inside before I'm forced to report you to Lieutenant Dunning."

"Yes, sir. Right away," Gabriel replied, and she quickly turned and headed for the castle's front doors.

"And have a mind to check the schedule properly next time!" the guard yelled out after her.

Gabriel waved and then disappeared into the castle entranceway. Sarah Bell and Gwen were holding their breath as they pressed their backs against the wall below. A few minutes later the castle door opened again and the girls could see Gabriel cautiously peering out. They watched as she scanned the upper walls, looking to make sure the guard had moved on before waving them to her. The two girls dashed across the courtyard, up the stairs and through the front door in a flash of robes and fear.

"Whew! That was close," Gwen sighed.

"I'd better escort you back to the tower," Gabriel told them. "You're still out of bounds."

"What about Anna?" Sarah said.

Gwen's eyes widened. "Oh my God… I forgot… she's still out there," She reached for the door's latch again.

"We'd better get back," called a whisper somewhere behind them, and they looked up to find Anna standing at the top of the staircase. "Come on — back to the Tower."

Gabriel looked at Gwen. "How the hell did get back without our seeing her?"

Gwen shook her head as she followed Sarah up the stairs. "I wouldn't be surprised if she can fly too."

A few minutes later, the four girls flopped into the couches and chairs within the Tower Room. Looking somewhat relieved, Gabriel pointed at Anna and sneered, "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Anna nodded and then pushed herself upright. "Okay… I definitely owe you that, given we could have been suspended tonight."

Ten minutes later, Gwen was pacing around the room. "Okay… so now I understand how you were able to spy on the smugglers down in the dungeons, but I still don't get it. Why did you insist on seeing Trog tonight?"

"And why does it matter that the smugglers started going to the Dragon's Lair last summer?" Gabriel added.

All three girls were staring at Anna pryingly.

"Because…" Anna whispered, "that's when the first reports started coming in about Voldemort's return."

Gabriel and Gwen gasped at the name and Anna immediately looked apologetic.

"I mean… _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_," she added quickly.

Gwen sat down next to her. "But… why would that matter, Anna? What do the smugglers have to do with _You-Know-Who_?"

Anna looked at her and sighed. "His Death Eaters are buying the eggs because they want to use the dragons in the war to come."

She let these words settle for a moment and then added, "I heard the smugglers in the dungeons talking about selling the eggs to a Death Eater they called _the collector_."

Gabriel suddenly looked worried. "What war are you talking about?"

Anna heaved again and then looked at her. "Do you believe _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named _has returned?"

The Guardian Knight rolled her eyes. "If you recall… I was one of the few people who said I did believe it when you and John Baird were fighting that first night we returned to school."

"Yes… I know… but have you taken the time to really think about what it would mean to the Wizarding World because he did return? Do you understand the repercussions?"

Once again Gabriel remembered the last time she had entered the Mirror of Enlightenment and its warning to her: _'You-Know-Who and his __minions __were gathering strength'_. The Guardian Knight looked back at Anna again. "It means a lot of people are going to get hurt."

"It means a war is coming!" Anna shot back. She looked at Sarah and Gwen. "It means hundreds… maybe thousands of people are going to die."

Gabriel heaved. Of course Anna was right. If Voldemort was back then he would surely begin where he left off the first time. There would be killings. There would be the type of disappearances they had already seen in the Wizarding World recently over the last year. There would be war. She looked at Anna again, nodded, and then walked over to sit next to her on the couch.

"But together…" Gabriel said, thinking again about the words within the Mirror, "we shall turn chaos into harmony once more."

Anna's eyes widened and began to fill with tears. She reached out to Gabriel and hugged the girl.

Gwen stepped in. "But I still don't understand, Anna. I heard you asking Trog about somebody stealing the eggs years ago, and you thought it might have stopped after you were born. What was all that about?

Anna pushed back from Gabriel to look at Gwen. "If his Death Eaters are stealing these eggs for the war to come, then he would have done so before he disappeared the first time as well. I had to confirm what the smugglers in the dungeons had said. I had to know if they were planning to use the dragons as a weapon of war again."

"And? What did Trog say?"

"He said the same thing happened almost fifteen years ago. Wizards were going into the Shadowed Forest and searching for the Cliffs of Knowtor, and when they finally found it, they began smuggling the eggs off the plateau. Whenever one of them was caught, Trog said they were soon killed in their prison cells and sometimes their families too if they revealed anything to the Ministry. Nothing was ever learned about why these wizards were stealing the eggs, but then it suddenly stopped and even Trog was unable to tell me why." Anna stared at her friends. "We know why now: They were doing it then for the same reason they're doing it today."

Gwen straightened. "I see. So when _You-Know-Who _disappeared years ago…"

"The war was stopped before it could start," Anna finished. "And with _You-Know-Who_ gone… there was no longer a reason to take the eggs. They didn't need the dragons any longer."

"And all of this ha… ha… happened just be… be…before you w… w… were born?" Sarah asked her.

Anna nodded. "Like all of you, I was born a Guardian. We were all born to protect magic from the chaos of war that might very well destroy everything we know."

"But you w… w… were also b… born to le… le… lead us," Sarah added.

Anna shrugged. "Perhaps… and that's why I believe I was born a squib. Like the dragons, once the war was stopped, there was no need for the Guardians or for me."

"But now that _You-Know-Who_ has returned…" Gabriel added.

"Then the Guardians were needed once again to protect the ways of magic. War is on the way… and the Dark Lord will stop at nothing to take over the world by whatever force is necessary, but he can't do it by himself… he needs help. He wants the dragons and any number of other magical creatures to give him an advantage."

Anna stiffened. "My father is continually trying to keep the Guardians out of this fight, but I believe we should be doing all we can to protect the dragons. And if that means our actions would put _He-Who-Shall-No-Be-Named_ at a disadvantage…" she sneered satisfactorily, "all the better. We can't allow these thieves onto the cliffs ever again."

117


	33. Chapter 31 - Vacant eyes that see

Chapter 31D06

Chapter 31 (Draft 06)

Vacant eyes that see

ONE

The rest of April and May was fairly uneventful as compared to the days Anna spent in the dungeons, but by the beginning of June the anxiety within the Union Halls was starting to build. _Ordinary Wizard Level_ testing had begun for the fifth years, and a few days later the _Grueling, Intellectual and Noetic Tests_ for the seventh years suddenly added to the tension. Any unthinking laughter was abruptly cut short in the corridors by angry Knights and nervous seniors worried about graduating on time.

"Just wait until next year," Gabriel scolded Gwen outside their Care of Magical Objects class, "when you see what it's like when to take your _O-W-Ls_."

Gwen suddenly looked worriedly. "Oh my God," she whispered, "she's right. I'll have to take those horrible tests next year."

Anna wasn't paying attention. She was watching Professor Qwaad closely as he prepared for their Care of Magical Objects class. To her, the man seemed worried and rather hurried as he pulled his books from his satchel and unrolled the day's parchment. Ever since their return from the Christmas holiday, Anna and the rest of the Guardians had noticed a remarkable change in their lessons with Qwaad. Gone were the days of buffing goblets and the silverware and traveling about the castle searching for empty rooms in which to clean. Their classes now included a vast array of magical baubles and trinkets on loan to them by the Chancellor and the Academy staff for study, and Qwaad seemed genuinely interested in any student showing the slightest suggestion of hidden understanding.

There were a number of Guardians that seemed transfixed by these studies as well, including the two first years Steven Borjg and, of all people, Nox who was especially fascinated with a number of objects she swore she could hear whispering to her. It was the first time anybody could remember the girl taking her studies so seriously. The fifth year Isabel Lang also seemed extraordinarily gifted at figuring out an object's purpose with very little coaching from Professor Qwaad. Isabel was even late to her first _O-W-L_ while studying the properties of an object she correctly surmised was used to ward off pesky garden gnomes.

Their Care of Magic Places class had improved as well. In fact, Qwaad had taken the students on several field trips throughout the spring to visit the best known magical haunts throughout Spellsburg. Once again, several of the Guardians showed an extraordinary understanding of these places or the areas within that made them so magically remarkable. Surprising to most was Sarah Bell who seemed to have the gift of understanding these places more than most. Qwaad was especially impressed when Sarah discovered an unknown secret passage hidden behind a bookcase in the museum that led to an underground archway and an empty crypt two blocks away within a Spellsburg cemetery. Stunned by Sarah's seemingly innate skills, even Nox had to agree it was a remarkable find.

More than anything else, however, their Auror Defensive Skills classes were the most improved. When the Guardians were finally allowed to bring their wands to class, Qwaad had asked several Crimson Guards to join them with Lieutenant Dunning's blessing. Thinking that his guards might be used to bring more pain and injury to the Guardians, Dunning seemed happy to help, but it wasn't long before Qwaad was showing a much deeper motive and seemed decided at seeing the Guardians' defensive abilities improved. These classes became increasingly exciting as more experienced guards with greater abilities were allowed to join them. Soon, the students were studying a number of spells and hexes clearly meant to be used offensively as well. Before long, the Guardians were showing their new prowess in the Dueling Hall where both their individual battles and team matches were becoming much more successful.

Anna still didn't understand what Qwaad was doing to help her father, but it was becoming increasingly clear the man wasn't following the orders of the Minister of Magic either. In fact, Anna was convinced that if the Minister knew what Qwaad was doing to help the Guardians, Helawena Barkelnap would probably be furious and that was all Anna needed to trust Qwaad's ambitions for the Guardians.

All the while, Anna was continuously troubled about the upcoming end of term. The thieves in the dungeons had said the smugglers were going back to the lair three days before the students went home. Although she had already told Captain Hayman about their plans, and knowing Trog and Glors were supposed to be on guard, Anna hadn't heard anything about what precautions were being taken to protect the lair against the poachers. And, in Anna's worried mind, a plan unshared was like having no plan at all. She tried to make several appointments to meet with Hayman, but the Captain of the Guard always refused. He finally sent an owl a week later telling her she should be preparing for her final exams and not worrying about the nests of Knowtor. "Every precaution," he said, "had been taken to protect the forest from intrusion."

_What precautions? Was there somebody at the lair? What was going on?_ Anna was quickly learning something about her future role as the Guardian leader: when came to the protection of magical objects and the places containing them, the Guardians' responsibilities can never default to someone else.

The summer holiday was fast approaching, but in Anna's mind there were still too many unanswered questions, not to mention the three unsolved murders in the city. Anna's eyes began to burn every time she thought about her friend Sidney Heidelbach and his body left lying so callously in that cold alleyway. As she lay in her bed staring out the window, Anna watched as the silhouette of a soaring dragon crossed over the moon in the distance.

"And what about the cursed man who tried to warn me about my mother's return to the plateau?" Anna whispered. "Was he really a friend… or something else?"

What about her mother? _Was Victoria Grayson with Voldemort, or was she nearby? Was she responsible for these murders… and, if so, why? Had she killed these men to protect me somehow? But if my mother was responsible for these horrible crimes, then why did she kill Sidney in a way that seemed to implicate me? _

Anna looked over at Sarah Bell who was slumbering quietly in the next bed._ Who was it that attacked Sarah with an unforgivable curse and then forced her to spy on me? And where was the Ruby of YU?_

There were far too many questions yet to be answered. Anna shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind, but they slowly opened again.

_When would Voldemort show himself? Would I really have to face him in the way Dumbledore had warned? When would the war come, and who was this Walpurgis collector that had paid the limping man and his poachers to steal the dragon eggs?_

Anna thought about Harry Potter and remembered the Headmaster's words. _'__Voldemort wanted to kill young Harry for reasons I'm not at liberty to share at the moment.' Why would Voldemort want to kill a baby? And when the time came to do it, how did young Harry survive after his parents had been murdered?_ She thought about her kaleidoscope and the power lost to her, and to her surprise Anna realized there were other questions almost as important as those pertaining to her mother. _Where are Voldemort's horcruxes? _And the one most important to her of all_: where is my ally?_

Leola Grayson was still being held captive – locked in the most horrible dungeon imaginable; a place the man Rufus Malissifa had once called _'a prison of hateful solitude'; _a retched domain within some unknown object that had seized Anna's ally and kept her its prisoner._ Where is this object? What is it? And how will I free her if I find it?_ A low growl rose up from within the Sithmaith. _And_ _who was it that had caused Leola to be imprisoned there?_

Anna was now convinced more than ever that magic had joined the ally to her in some important way she didn't really understand. She once thought of Leola Grayson as a kind of magical armor and protection against the unknown. Without it… she felt as if a piece of her was missing. _Leola had to be freed…_ but without the kaleidoscope and the Great Ape of the Hoard to help her find the vessel… the task seemed impossible.

Anna finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep that night and she dreamed of standing on the edge of a cold precipice, overlooking an empty chasm. She could feel the thermals rising and falling in front of her, but the sound of beating wings were no longer there. The Guardian could see dozens of nests, empty and unkempt, falling away from the ledges below her. She looked to the north and the great mountain of the lair in the distance and instead of a vaporous crown of white, there were clouds of ominous black surrounding its summit and the air was empty of dragons. The Guardian moaned softly in her sleep and began to sob.

TWO

Anna's dream was reoccurring as the hours drifted by. She saw herself flying over the Shadowed Forest, searching desperately for the missing dragons. She raced across the Cliffs of Knowtor, down into the valleys and ravines and through deepest chasms, but the nests were nowhere to be found. She finally saw a flickering light far away in the Shadowed Forest and Anna's hope began to grow. _Maybe the dragons are there,_ she thought, as she turned and headed for the light.

"Beware the fires that burn within the forest…" came an unexpected voice from out of the darkness. Anna frowned as the light in the forest floor began to fade.

"Beware…"

Anna was jolted awake and found herself staring out her bedroom window and a nearly full moon over the city of Spellsburg. She listened to the crickets chirping softly, as a cold breeze gently moved the curtains back and forth across her face.

"Beware…" sounded a hash voice behind her again and Anna jerked around to find Sarah standing by her bedside.

"Sarah! Oh my gosh… you scared me. What's the matter? Can't you sleep?"

"Beware the fires that burn within the forest," the girl repeated in a low guttural voice. "They are a trap to draw you near. This night and next… beware the fires that burn in the forest."

Anna immediately sat upright. "Sarah?"

Her roommate tilted to look down and Anna gulped. Sarah's eyes were wide and vacant, blank-white eyes that almost glowed in the dark; they were the eyes of a Seer. Sarah raised her arms out to the sides and her entire body was lifted off the floor. She floated there and then slowly began to turn as a second prophesy came forth.

"The mothers howl their misery at the moon. For their babies are stolen from their nests… this night and next. Broken shells are scattered and discarded and the unborn lie dead upon the ground." She voice sudden became shrill. "The weak and unwanted ones are thrown upon the fire while their mothers lie as mountains of rotting flesh all around them. A river of blood…. it cuts through the mountains and pools at the murderer's dancing feet… this night and next…. this night and next."

Sarah continued to turn, but then suddenly stopped to look down. Her eyes seemed to bloom brighter as she continued. "Beware… your mother is close at hand and she seeks you out for his sake; for _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_… shall not be left wanting… this night and next… this night and next. Beware… this night and next.

The girl's body slowly dropped back down to the floor and she quietly turned to head back to her bed. "This night and next…" she whispered, before collapsing face down into her blankets.

Anna was shaking uncontrollably as she fell onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "Oh my God!" she whimpered. "My mother… is really here."

THREE

The sun slowly crept over the mountains to enter the city and Anna was sitting on the edge of her bed watching Sarah sleep. She had been up all night, thinking about the prophecies that her roommate, the Seer, had finally come to deliver.

Anna was quietly thinking. _After everything that's happened this year, it was astounding that Sarah wouldn't say anything in her sleep until just a few hours ago. _Anna was starting to believe it was only during the most significant magical moments in time that these prophecies would finally come, and although the things Sarah had said to her were life-altering, she felt the timing had made their significance even more urgent.

Her mother was very close, probably in the Shadowed Forest right now. _But why?_ _Sarah said Victoria was seeking her out for his sake; for Voldemort, but what would Voldemort want with me? _

Sarah started to stir as the sun pushed aside the remaining shadows and the girl slowly rolled over to find Anna staring at her. The look on Anna's face told Sarah all she needed to know and she immediately bolted upright in response.

"Oh my God… what did I say, Anna?"

Of course, she was talking about the prophecies that always left those sleeping closest to her feeling terrified. Sarah had been expecting to find Anna waiting for her like this all year.

Anna took a deep breath. "You said… the smugglers are in the forest again, Sarah. They're poaching eggs from the nests once more, but this time… the theft is going to be huge."

Sarah swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. "What are we going to do? We have to stop them!" The girl suddenly frowned. While Anna looked concerned, she could tell her deepest thoughts were somewhere else.

Sarah's expression fell. She thought for a moment and then said, "Why would I tell you about the Dragon's Lair?" She studied Anna closely. "The prophecies that come in my sleep during the night are always about those physically nearest to me. So… why would I talk about the lair if it didn't involve you?" She was skeptical. "You're not telling me everything. What else did I say, Anna?" Anna looked like a person holding something important back. "Anna… I love you, but these prophecies belong to me. It's not right for you to keep them from me."

Anna had expected this, but she wasn't going to tell Sarah about her mother hunting her for Voldemort.

Anna tried to look relenting. "You also said something about a trap being set for me in the forest, but I have no idea what that means."

Sarah quickly stood. "My god! I'm going with you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're going into the Shadowed Forest to stop the poachers from raiding the nests again. If you know they'll be there tonight and my prophecy warned you about there being a trap in the forest… that means you're planning to go in, so I'm going with you!"

Anna frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea, Sarah. If it is a trap… I can't put you in danger too."

Sarah came over to sit next to Anna on her bed. "But you can't do this alone, Anna. You're our leader, but we're all Guardians now. I'm sure many of us would be willing to go with you to try and stop them."

Anna looked skeptical. "But going into the Shadowed Forest after dark? We would have to be the only ones stupid enough to do something that crazy."

Sarah thought about it. "We should tell the Chancellor and Captain Hayman and the rest of the Guardians. They all have to know what's happening."

"But who would listen to us, Sarah? Nobody knows about your gifts other than your family and the Chancellor."

"Gwen knows. She would believe us, but the Chancellor would make sure something is done to stop this." She reached down to take Anna's hand. "Let's go and tell Chancellor Thordarson. He's a very wise wizard, Anna, he'll listen to us… I'm sure of it."

A few minutes later, Anna and Sarah were trying to convince a burly Crimson Guard to allow them access the Chancellor's stairway. "The Chancellor has been called away to an urgent meeting with the school's board of trustees. I'm afraid he won't return until very late this evening."

The girls stepped aside. "Now what?" Sarah said, worriedly.

Anna thought about it. "I'll go to Captain Hayman's office and you go and find Gabriel. A Guardian Knight would surely know how to contact the Chancellor." Sarah agreed and quickly turned to leave, but Anna stopped her.

"Take my wand," Anna told her.

"You wand? But why?"

"I would rather you had it rather than taking the chance it might be taken from me down in the dungeons."

Sarah sighed and then pocketed the purple heart.

Anna arrived in the dungeons a few minutes later where one of the Crimson Guards informed her that Captain Hayman had also been called away from the plateau. He had boarded a ship in the night to Loon's Lagoon on a family emergency. Anna was immediately skeptical. _Both the Chancellor of Castlewood and its Captain are away on the night the largest thievery in the Shadowed Forest was about to take place? _Annathanked the Guard for the information, turned, and ran headlong into Lieutenant Dunning.

"Ah… Miss Grayson. Don't tell me that you're already missing the comforts of our dungeons?" His words were dripping with sarcasm, but his expression remained stoic. "Why are you here?" he asked her, looking over Anna's shoulder to the guard seated at the desk behind her.

The guarded immediately stood at attention. "The student was looking to speak with the Captain, sir."

"Captain Hayman? Why?"

"She didn't explain, sir. She would only say it was matter of utmost urgency."

Dunning's eyes widened in mocking surprise. "Utmost urgency… oh dear me. Miss Grayson… tell me… what kind of emergency would call you to bypass the normal chain of command around your Union Knight, the Student President and myself to speak directly to the Captain?"

Anna was seething with rage at the man. "Nothing I'm willing to tell you," she fired back, "so I'll be on my way." She turned and was almost at the door when he called out to her.

"No… I don't think so."

Anna stopped and slowly turned to look back. Dunning smiled evilly and then turned to look down at the guard again. "Bring her into my office."

Anna quickly turned to flee, but when she opened the door again she found three more guards standing outside.

Five minutes later, Anna was sitting in an interrogation chair with chains wrapped around her ankles and wrists. Dunning closed the door to the room and then slowly sat down at the desk in front of her. He had a massive file in his hands that he let drop on the table with a loud smack.

He smiled down at her. "This is my Grayson file."

Anna looked at him and growled under her breath. "Get these chains off of me."

The man opened the file and pulled out another folder from within. "And this… is my Anna Grayson file," he said serenely. He turned it sideways to show her how thick it was. "Already quite substantial… for a second year student."

Anna looked up at the bars across the window and what daylight remained outside. She knew she didn't have time for Dunning's harassments. Sarah was already telling Gabriel about the smugglers' plans.

Dunning studied her carefully as she stared at the window. He smiled. "Beautiful day today, I know. So why don't you tell me what you were here to discuss with Captain Hayman and then I'll decide if it warrants my keeping you here any longer than is necessary. Tell me… what is this matter of utmost urgency?"

Anna tried to remain calm. Chains or not, it took all her strength to keep from attacking the man across the table.

"Tell me… does this have anything to do with your mother?"

Anna's eyes widened with shocked surprise.

"Oh… but wait. I'm sorry… I forgot. You mother is dead, isn't that right?"

Anna could feel the coldness in her heart spreading throughout her body. _No!_ She thought fearfully. _I must stay in control!_

"No? Not about your mother?" Dunning smiled wickedly.

Anna finally decided she didn't have any options left. What was most important was protecting the Dragon's Lair.

"Fine! I'll tell you what's happening!"

Dunning smiled again, opened her file, and then picked up his quill. "I'm glad you're starting to see reason, Miss Grayson. So… once again… tell me why did you come here to see Captain Hayman?"

Several floors above the dungeons, Sarah Bell had just finished telling her story to Gwen, Gabriel and Tanya Joe. It had taken her most of the morning to find the Guardian Knight and by the time she did, Sarah didn't care who within the Hall knew about her Seer abilities; time was running out.

Gwen looked over to Gabriel and TJ and found the two of them completely lost for words. They were staring at Sarah, trying to the best of their ability to believe what she was telling them.

"So… you're saying that you… are a prophetess?

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yes… that's what I'm saying." She could see TJ and Gabriel looked incredulous. "Look… I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you. We have to get somebody to do something about these poachers. Anna went down to tell Captain Hayman, but is there any way you could make contact directly with the Chancellor?"

Gabriel still looked skeptical. "Does Chancellor Thordarson already know about your…ah… abilities?"

"Yes he does!" Sarah shot back. "In fact… he's been helping my family understand my divinations for over a year now."

TJ's jaw dropped. "Cri-mo-nilly…"

Gabriel tried to think. "Alright… well… we would have to find Val Olivo, the President Body President."

Sarah Bell leapt to her feet. "We haven't got time for that!"

"Gabriel Laroche?"

The girls looked up to find two Crimson Guards standing there.

"Yes?"

"Guardian Knight, you have been summoned to Lieutenant Dunning's office downstairs."

"Why? What's happened?"

"It's about Anna Grayson, isn't it?" Sarah said worriedly.

The guards looked down at Sarah and then back to Gabriel. "In fact… it is about Miss Grayson; she has been detained."

"Detained? Why?"

"Guardian Knight… I am not at liberty to discuss the reasons in public," the guard said, ignoring Gwen. "You should come with us. You're presence in an ongoing investigation is now required."

The Knight nodded and the guards turned to leave, but Sarah immediately reached out and grabbed Gabriel by the sleeve. "Please Gabriel… you have to get Anna out of the dungeon. We're running out of time!"

Gabriel seized Sarah by the shoulders. "Now you listen to me. I don't know what's going on here, but don't you dare leave this castle. You stay right here until I get back. I don't want to worry about you doing anything stupid on your own… and that includes going anywhere near the Shadowed Forest. Do you understand me?"

"Gabriel… it'll be dark soon," Sarah argued back, pointing out the window.

"DO YOU… UNDERSTAND ME?"

Sarah fell silent.

"Sarah Bell… tell me you understand. I want to hear you say it!"

"Guardian Knight?" the guard called out.

"Just a minute, please!" Gabriel yelled back. She looked at Sarah again and could see it in the girl's eyes. She had no intention of promising anything.

"Fine… then you leave me with no choice." She looked up at TJ and Gwen. "You two… take her upstairs and lock her in her room!"

Gwen frowned. "Oh come on, Gabriel… is that really necessary?"

"DO IT! And you will stand guard at her door until I get back. I'm holding both of you responsible for her."

The Knight didn't wait to argue more. She immediately turned and followed the guards out of the hall.

"Come on, Sarah. Let's get you upstairs," Gwen told her.

Sarah looked up at her friends and scowled. "You're kidding me, right? Didn't you just hear what I said? You know I'm not lying, Gwen. Anna told you about my prophecies last year."

"Yes… she did and I'm not saying you're lying, but Gabriel is right. You can't just fly off into the Shadowed Forest looking to stop a bunch of criminals all by yourself."

Sarah looked at TJ disbelievingly.

"She's right," TJ agreed. "You and Anna could git' yourselves killed, girl."

Sarah threw up her hands, and for the first time anybody could remember the young girl looked positively livid. "Fine! Lock me up! But if you think for one minute those dungeons downstairs are going to hold Anna Grayson for very long, then you're lying to yourselves. If nothing is done to stop these thieves, Anna will go alone, and you'll be forcing her to fight a battle that she's sure to lose."

Sarah looked pleadingly at them. "Gwen… she's going to get killed unless we help her."

Gwen looked at TJ who, to her surprise, was already nodding in agreement. "Well… she's right about that. Ain't no way Anna's gonna' let this go. If we don't help her… she go by herself."

Gwen turned to look out the window. She could see it was already getting late. She thought about it and then turned to look at her friends once more. "So what do you want to do?"

Sarah stepped forward and they could immediately tell the girl had already been working on a plan. "We have to assume nothing is going to be done. We'll know for sure by the time it gets dark, but I think we have to be prepared to go in by ourselves."

"Just the three of us?" Gwen said, nervously.

Sarah shook her head. "No… we can't go without Anna; she's the only one who knows how to get to the dragons' lair. And we can't enlist others without Gabriel finding out, but if our going to the lair becomes necessary we'll need a way to get there. We'll need our doors and brooms."

Gwen looked at TJ. "Our brooms are in our room… where are your doors?"

"Slalom Stadium," Sarah told them. "I'll have to go there myself and get them out of the locker."

"Fine… so let's get them and then wait to see if the Chancellor or the Guards are going to do something. If we don't hear anything by the time it gets dark… then I guess it's up to us. We'll meet at the edge of the forest near the stables," Gwen suggested, "and wait for Anna there."

Sarah looked concerned for her friends. "What about Gabriel? You're supposed to be locking me in my room, remember?"

TJ shrugged uncaringly. "We're headin' into the Shadowed Forest after dark to start'a fight with god knows how many bushwhackin' poachers for pilfer'in eggs from a bunch of angry dragons. And if we're somehow able to get the eggs back, the dragons will most likely kill us for taking them in the first place." TJ heaved. "Upsettin' Gabriel Laroche outta'be the last of our worries."

FOUR

"Thank you for coming down on such short notice, Miss Laroche," Dunning told Gabriel.

"Lieutenant Dunning… why is Anna Grayson locked in the dungeons again?"

Dunning leaned back in his chair to cradle the back of his head in his hands. "For her own safety."

"For her…? What does that mean?"

"Miss Grayson has somehow convinced herself that the smugglers we've been hunting are planning a raid the nest of Knowtor tonight."

"That's what I heard too. And, of course, you're not going to believe her."

"Given the evidence to support her story… how could I? How could anybody?"

"What did she tell you?"

"I imagine the same thing she told you… that her roommate _prophesized_ it." The lieutenant smiled as if the whole idea was a joke.

Gabriel remained stoic. "I spoke with Sarah Bell about this and she claims she's been confirmed as a rare Seer."

Dunning laughed out loud.

"Seers do exist, lieutenant."

"Do they?"

"Yes… they do… there is a Professor Trelawney that teaches…"

"The subject of Divination at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Dunning said, cutting across her.

Gabriel frowned. "Do you know Trelawney?"

"I know she was recently sacked from her post at the school by its new Headmistress, Professor Umbridge." The lieutenant smiled again. "It's said she was released because she was a fraud."

Gabriel fell back in her chair, looking defeated.

"But none of this really matters anyway… that's not why Miss Grayson is sitting in my dungeon."

"Alright… so tell me why?"

Dunning leaned in, his expression set. "Because… she told me if the Crimson Guard refused to act upon her belief that these poachers were on the move tonight then she would do so herself.

"Gabriel… I locked her up to protect her from herself and to protect the men that would be forced to go into that forest looking for her. I don't care if her roommate is a seer, a prophetess, an oracle, or the progeny of Merlin himself… Anna Grayson will not be allowed to go anywhere near that forest."

Gabriel slowly got to her feet and turned to stare out the window.

After a long moment of silence Dunning spoke again. "You know… I was very pleased when I found out you were chosen to replace Eric Grayson as the Guardian Knight for your Hall," he said.

Gabriel turned to look back at him.

"I've always considered you to be much more… pragmatic when it comes to making the right decisions for our students." He stood. "I offer you this: I'll leave the decision to you. What would you suggest we do with Anna Grayson tonight?"

Gabriel thought about it and then walked over to the door. She opened it and then looked back. "Keep her downstairs for the night."

FIVE

Anna sat alone in her dungeon cell, angry enough to chew through the metal bars holding her prisoner. She could feel the Lethifold stirring within her bones in response to the building rage, as the voices of magic within the stones surrounding her tried to sooth her worried mind. They were singing to bring her comfort, but it was no use. As the minutes passed, Anna's wrath was only amplified. She looked up at the bars fixed in the window and watched the setting sun beyond.

"If you think your bars will hold me in, Dunning, you're sadly mistaken," she growled knowingly.

She closed her eyes and tried to visualize the smugglers sneaking onto the cliffs and then stealing the eggs from the unguarded nests. The very thought of it caused droplets of black to fall from her face and into her hands.

"Not yet…" she whispered. "We'll go very soon… but not yet.

The sound of flapping wings turned Anna's attention to the window where she saw a pair orange eyes peering through the bars.

"Hobbs?" Anna ran to the window. "What are you doing here?"

The tiny owl hooted dotingly at her before slipping easily through the bars to nip at her fingers.

"Oh Hobbs… I'm in trouble again," she whispered, as she carefully lowered him down.

The owl turned his head upside down to stare at her appraisingly before raising a tiny foot. He clicked his beak and hooted.

"A message? But who would send me a message in here. For that matter… who even knows I'm in the dungeon?" She slipped the piece of parchment off his leg and unrolled the message.

_Anna, If you decide we have to going in, then the Artisan and Texas are coming with us. I'll be waiting at the locker at dusk. Sincerely, #50._

Anna smiled. "Sarah, Gwen and TJ… thank God."

The metal latch to the room outside her cell unexpected sounded and the door was pulled open.

"Go!" Anna yelped at Hobbs… heaving him toward the window again.

"Stop that owl!" Dunning hollered, but it was too late. Hobbs was already gone.

Dunning pulled out his wand and pointed it at Anna. "Don't you move a muscle, Grayson, or I'll stun you where you stand." He spied the parchment in her hand. "I want that message. Hand it over — now!"

Anna smirked and then raised the parchment toward him. "You mean this message?" she replied casually.

The lieutenant bore into her stare and saw a spark.

"No!" he yelled, but once again he was too late. The parchment in Anna's hand burst into purple flames.

Dunning lowered his wand and sighed. "You really are incorrigible, you know that? More so than any other student I've ever met in my life."

Anna wrapped her body within her robs and smiled. "Well… it's probably easy for somebody like you to recognize, Dunning. Remember Rousseau who said: 'People are impossible in their youth; but they become incorrigible as they grow older.'" Anna turned to the side to peer over her should at him. "Incorrigibility probably starts around your age, Lieutenant."

One of the Crimson Guards started to laugh at the joke until Dunning's glare cut him short. He thought for a moment and said, "In an air of incorrigible innocence, there is always concealed a diabolical cunning."

Anna forced herself to smile back. "Oh… I'm very impressed. Who knew a man like you could appreciate the classical English poets. However, my father told me that Housman was talking about every American when he wrote that ditty," Anna sat down on the bench and shrugged, "including you."

"I'll have you know that I'm stationing three guards in the room with you all night and two others will be outside your window." He walked up to the bars and rattled the steel door. "I know you have some skill at breaking into and exiting locked rooms undetected… thus… the extra precautions." Anna watched in amusement as the guards behind Dunning looked curiously at each other.

Dunning turned to them. "Did you take her wand?"

"We searched her, but she didn't have a wand on her person," the guard answered him.

Dunning inspected the bars again and then smiled down at her. "You will be released in the morning, Grayson. It's for your own good."

The lieutenant turned. "I'm locking this door from the outside," he said to the guards. "The three of you will stand guard here until morning."

"Yes, sir."

Dunning left the room and slammed the metal door behind him. "And no sleeping!" they heard him yell out from the other side.

242


	34. Chapter 32 - Into Battle

Chapter 32D05

Chapter 32 (Draft 05)

Into battle

ONE

"You know this is crazy, right?"

TJ looked at Gwen and shrugged. "At least two sandwiches short of'u picnic… yeah," she sighed."

"So what the hell are we doing here? We should be banging on Captain Hayman's door instead of flying into the Shadowed Forest in the middle of the night." Gwen looked into the woods and heard the wind moaning ominously back at them, almost daring them to enter. She looked at TJ skeptically again. "Do you really want to go in there?"

TJ stared into the woods and would have sworn she heard the forest growling. "If'n I owned both this forest and hell…" TJ looked back at Gwen, "I'd rent out the woods and live in hell."

"So why are we doing this? God… I think Anna's lost her mind!"

TJ stiffened. "If Hayman and Thordarson won't listen to reason… then nobody's gonna do squat less'in we do it ourselves, Gwen." She peered into the woods once more. "If Anna Grayson is goin' in there to stop a bunch'a egg thieves… then she ain't goin' in alone, I'll warrant'ya that!"

TJ looked back toward the castle. "And besides… Anna ain't the only one who's gone completely loco about these bushwhackers stealin' from the nests. Sarah's da'one who's gone plumb, bull bat crazy about it. I think that girl's out for blood tonight."

Gwen nodded just as a howl in the far off distance stole their attention once again. Suddenly, two purple-draped Guardians on flying doors zoomed overhead and straight into the Shadowed Forest.

"Come on!" Anna yelled.

Gwen shuddered. "The guards should be handling this… not a bunch of girls playing cops."

TJ frowned at her friend. "You know… we once had a Muggle Gov'ner in Texas who was a girl. She used to say… 'Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire ever could…'"

TJ mounted her broom and smiled at Gwen. "'…xcept' she did it backwards and in high heels!'"

In a shot, TJ was off and chasing Anna and Sarah into the moonlight.

Gwen stood there alone watching the others moving away over the trees and found her mind wondering where they had found the courage to do what they were doing. She tried to summon her own mettle in some way that might be useful to her friends as she mounted her broom and watched the ground fall away. When she was above the trees, she could swear there were dozens of glowing eyes watching her from below and hoping, in her mind, she might fall and deliver to them a tasty meal.

And then, in that moment of uncertainty and self-doubt, something happened to Gwen that she would remember for the rest of her life. It came first as a warm breeze, sliding like a serpent across the top of the trees, it lifted her hair on end and fell into her brain like a drug. She could smell the deep aroma of the woods and all the life contained within it. She breathed deep and then smiled when she finally understood both the color of life and life itself had a scent to it. The earthy dampness from the rain, the wood in the trees, the breath of everything breathing; it was shocking to know that you can actually smell something growing. More than that, you could know what the creatures within the woods were feeling if only you took the time to become conscious of it. It was all right there for her inspection and awareness, to feel what they were feeling, to know what they knew. It carved out a place of peace to her soul and left her wondering why she had never noticed it before.

Emotions had a smell to them as well… and what Gwen was sensing made her snarl in response. It wasn't hunger or wanting from the creatures below that she had imagined; it was fear. Then, quite suddenly, the wind traveling across the canopy brought with it more than just her missing courage, and Gwen knew she had much more to offer their crusade than what she originally believed was possible. Real courage understood that some things are far more important than your own safety, and some beliefs are actually worth giving up your life. These thieves were stealing children from their mothers, and nothing it seemed of the dragon's strength or the Ministry's power could stop them. But Gwen was a Guardian of magic now, a new warrior in the battle for right, who believed their cause was righteous and worth fighting to protect. At once her heart hardened to give her cause strength and she snarled again at those who would steal the gifts most magical. And in that moment of realization, the girl truly expected the heavens to open above her and the saints themselves to deliver a warning to those who would steal what belongs to the forest… but it was Sarah Bell's voice she heard instead.

'_They cannot be allowed!'_

"No they cannot!" Gwen growled ominously, as she looked down again at the dozens of glowing eyes blinking up at her from out of the darkness.

The creatures watched as the Guardian's robes ballooned in the wind, filling her body with mythical courage born from ages passed. And her eyes were glowing as well. Filled with purple rage, she suddenly shot forward to follow her friends and the creatures below turned to quickly follow. The first Guardian led battle in more than fifteen centuries was about to begin and Gwendolyn Reese was ready to give everything of herself to see it won.

TWO

When Gwen caught up with the others, she found TJ smiling back at her.

"You ready for this, girlfriend?"

Gwen tried to let her newly found courage answer for her. She reached down and pulled out her wand. "I left my high heels at home, but I'm ready. So what's the plan?"

She looked over to see Anna and Sarah squatting low on their doors and conversing with one another as they flew along. Sarah nodded and then tilted back and disappeared somewhere in the darkness above them. Gwen was impressed with Sarah's skills on her door. Apparently, all of those months of Slalom practice had paid off immeasurably. She looked over and was startled to see Sarah on her other side.

"Gwen… follow me!" And before Gwen could ask why, the girl leaned over and disappeared in the darkness once again.

Gwen looked over to Anna and found their leader and TJ had vanished as well. The girl tilted her broom over to follow the small trace of Sarah's robes she could barely see billowing in the moonlight just above the trees going the other way. _Where the hell is she going?_

Anna and TJ were flying side by side in close formation. The air was mercifully warm but seemed as forbidding as the Forest a few feet below them.

"Anna — you sure you know how'da get to the Lair again?" TJ hollered across the space between them.

Anna raised her wand and flashed a purple light twice in the darkness. "Positive. I could get us there in my sleep if I had to."

TJ smiled. "I've never understood why these varmints traveled through the forest to get to the lair instead of on brooms? Their way seems a'lot more dangerous ta'me."

"The Crimson Guard would see them entering and exiting the woods on brooms during the day." Anna looked over at her. "And the dragons would see them coming ten miles away. I know the Collector is paying them a lot of gold… but traveling at night through the forest seems suicidal to me too."

"Suicidal… right." TJ nodded. "I was thinkin' it' be the same fer' us too, don't'cha think?"

Anna looked worried. "I'm hoping the dragons will forgive four Guardians trying to protect their nests." Anna answered before quickly flashing her wand over her head twice again.

"So how we expectin' to find them down in the forest if'n they're out tonight?"

Anna looked over and shook her head. "To tell you the truth… I hadn't quite worked that out yet."

The two girls traveled quietly through the night over the top of the trees, looking for any signs of intrusion in the forest below them. After another thirty minutes, they swung into a valley and down into a flattened area where the darkness seemed to increase dramatically and the air turned cold. In the quiet, TJ heard the first distant roar.

"Anna… you see that? Look down there."

The two slowed and finally stopped to hover. Ahead of them, sitting low on the forest floor, a small light was flickering in the distance. Anna growled and then raised her wand again to flash three times.

TJ leaned in. "So whadaya think? Is that them?"

Anna frowned and then looked at her friend. "It looks like a small fire."

TJ was suddenly skeptical. "Ya'think? Well that's pretty stupid, ain't it?" She looked at Anna again. "I mean… if you're tryin' to keep a low profile… why in the world would'ya build a fire?"

Anna's expression fell as the seer's warning suddenly came racing forward, _'__Beware the fires that burn within the forest.'_

"TJ — we have to get out of here!"

"What? Why? What about…?"

"Right now! Let's go!" Anna quickly turned around and found three wizards on brooms hovering there behind them with their wands out.

"Hello girls. Strange place to be flying around, isn't it? You lost?"

TJ was surprised as she looked over at Anna. She could already see her friend's anger rising up through her otherwise calm expression. "How'd you know?" TJ asked her.

Anna looked over. "That it was a trap? Like you said…" Anna glared back at the men, "it's pretty stupid to build fire this close to the lair."

"Alright, we know you're carrying wands, so let's have them," one of the men said.

Anna rolled her eyes and looked at TJ and then pulled out her wand.

"EASY NOW!" then man said, warningly. "Okay… now drop them over the side." He commanded with a jerk of his wand. "AND… do it slowly."

Anna held her purple heart out to the side and TJ did the same.

"You sure about this?" TJ whispered to her, and then watched as Anna drop her purple heart into the trees below. TJ sighed and did the same.

"Very good," the man said, adjusting his seat on his broom before looking over at his two friends. "I thought they said catching them would be difficult."

The other men laughed as TJ flinched and looked over at Anna again. "They knew we was comin'!"

Suddenly, two of the men were struck in the back with red hexes and the third man wheeled around to see Gwen and Sarah Bell zooming down at them from above.

"Damn!" the man yelled, raising his wand to take aim.

"_Stupefy!"_ Anna yelled, pointing at the man who was instantly blasted off his broom. They watched him fall and then crash through the canopy below.

"_Accio wands!" _Anna yelled. She reached out her hands and caught five wands rising up out of the darkness. She snapped three of them in two and then handed TJ's wand back to her.

"Thanks! Ya'gotta teach me that trick. Doing magic without a wand is downright handy."

Gwen and Sarah flew in next to them. "Anna, are you alright? It's a good thing you suggested splitting up," Gwen said with a satisfied smile.

They heard a moan in the trees below.

"Do you think they're alright?" Sarah said, worriedly.

Anna looked down again and sneered. "I've given up caring." She looked at her friends again. "Listen, we're in a lot of trouble here. They were expecting us tonight!"

"What? How?" Gwen was shocked.

"It's true. The one Anna put down said so," TJ told them.

"Then… how many more do you think are out there?"

Suddenly, hexes and spells of every kind were shooting past them from above and below.

"Lots!" Anna yelled out. "Remember the plan — if any of us go down, we all head for the forest floor!" she hollered, and the four Guardians immediately scattered.

Sarah Bell turned and zoomed straight up, following the battle plan she had worked out with Anna on the way in. Another bolt just missed her right ear as she turned to look back and saw three more poachers on her tail. Sarah zigged and zagged on her door to avoid their curses, but her courage was strengthened. Now that the shock of actually seeing the poachers had passed, the thought of these mean stealing eggs from the nests was obscene to the girl. She sneered as another curse just missed her leg and Sarah suddenly whirled about to fire back.

"_Immobulus!"_

One of her pursuers was struck directly in the chest. He stiffened and then toppled like a statue off his door.

Another hex shot passed her as Sarah bravely dove down at her pursuers. She heard the body of the wizard she had frozen hit the trees somewhere below and snarled again as she took aim at another. Like Anna Grayson… this Guardian had stopped caring.

"Thieves!" Sarah screamed as she fired once more.

Gwen was chasing another wizard on a broom, firing spell after spell at him as a second cast several hexes at her back. Finally, Gwen hit the man in front just as a spell from behind hit her other arm. The left side of her body instantly went numb and Gwen almost toppled over her broom. She looked under her arm just in time to see the wizard chasing her falling off of his broom. TJ had stupefied him.

"Are you a'right?" TJ yelled over at her.

"Yeah… but I'm going to have to land… I can't feel my left arm… I can't steer this thing."

"Okay… git'ta the ground and I'll tell the others! We'll join you quick as we can!"

TJ zoomed off as Gwen slowly turned to look for a gap in the trees.

Anna was completely outnumbered. No less than five poachers were chasing her on doors and brooms low through the trees below the canopy. Hexes were flying back and forth as the Guardian dodged and weaved over and under several branches, turning and firing and then turning again. Although her Vollucross experience was helping her, there were no pathways cut through the woods she could follow. Limbs and branches tore at her robes and skin as Anna tried to increase the distance between herself and her pursuers. She looked up to see a large tree coming into view within a clearing and she smiled. She leveled to look back under her arm. One of the men was missing, lost no doubt somewhere in the forest behind them. Anna looked ahead once and raised her wand.

"_Silencio!"_ A wave of magic shot forward and hit the tree and the vines strangling it instantly came to life in angry response.

Anna smiled again as she entered the clearing and then turned to circle around the tree as the blackened tendrils of the Devil's Snare reached out for her. Its hissing silenced, the four other wizards entering the clearing were taken completely by surprise as the hooked vines suddenly lashed out at them. One of the men tried to yell out a warning but was immediately batted off of his door and into another tree standing steadfast and unyielding to the side. Another wizard was ensnared and quickly disappeared into the vines strangling folds. A third was hit by one of Anna's curses, which sent him spinning out of control and crashing into another tree where he crumbled to the ground. He looked up angrily at Anna and then reached for his wand again, but a large trap door suddenly flew open behind him and a massive spider the size of an elephant lunged out to grab the man and dragged him down into its hole. The man's screams were muffled as the door slammed shut behind him.

Anna circled the Devil's Snare again, dodging and weaving its swinging vines as the last wizard chasing after her continued firing from the other side. They circled around the tree again and again until the man was nearly knocked off his broom by one of the angry tendrils. He recovered quickly and then turned into the woods to flee with Anna chasing and firing at his back.

Suddenly, the man was struck by another hex in the front and hollered in pain as he toppled over the side and crashed to the ground. Anna looked up to find Gwen standing between the trees pointing her wand at him.

Anna slowed to hover. "Nice shot! Anybody after you? What's the matter with your arm?"

Gwen was holding her left shoulder with her wand hand. "I'm okay… it's nothing. The feeling is starting to come back, but afraid I'm grounded. I crashed my broom back in the trees.

Anna landed and ran over to her friend and caught her just before she fell over. "You're not okay. Let's find a place for you to sit."

"Forget about me. Gwen and Sarah are still up there. You have to get up there and help them."

Anna helped her friend down. "Did anybody see you fall?"

"Yeah, TJ got the one chasing me and she went looking for you and Sarah to tell you I was in the forest."

"Then they're probably somewhere close. That was the plan, remember?"

"We're here!"

Anna and Gwen turned to see TJ helping Sarah through the trees.

"Sarah… are you alright?" Gwen said, quickly rising to stand again.

TJ set Sarah down. "She's a little out of it. She was hit by a binding curse and the heavy chains sent her crashin' inta'the woods."

"Oh my God, Sarah?" Anna squatted down to look into her roommate's eyes. "Sarah?"

"I arrested her momentum 'fore she crashed," TJ added quickly. "She's a wheel down an'a axle draggin', but she'll be okay. She's just a little loopy from the fall, is all."

"I'm alright," Sarah moaned wearily.

TJ looked at Anna and Gwen. "She'll need a little more time to recover." The girl looked around. "So where do we stand, Guardians? How many poacher-scumbags did'we git?

"Well… I got four of them, and Gwen took out a fifth," Anna reported.

"I got two others before I fell," Gwen added.

"And I took out two as well," TJ told them.

"I saw another get taken by something in the forest," Gwen said. She suddenly looked repulsed. "I can't even tell you what the heck it was; it just came out of the dark, ran right by me, and attacked the man." Gwen heaved sorrowfully. "It could have easily taken me… but I think…" she looked down at her purple sleeves and sighed. "I don't think I'll ever take these Guardian robes off again." She looked down at Sarah. "What about Sarah? Did she get any smugglers?"

TJ smiled. "I counted seven fall by her wand."

"Seven!" Gwen was surprised and impressed.

"Yep… and they weren't no lucky shots neither. That girl was chasin'em down and knock'em out — quick! I never seen anythin' like it. She's a menace on dat board o'hers. She turns faster, shoots faster… I'll tell you this: church is out with this girl. They never had a chance."

Anna looked into Sarah face again. "Sarah, honey… can you hear me?"

Sarah looked exhausted as she peered up at them. She smiled tiredly. "Nine…" she moaned.

"What?"

"I got nine," she whispered.

"Good — God," Gwen yelped.

Anna smiled and smoothed her friend's hair. "You rest here, okay?" She stood again and looked around. So that's nineteen poachers in all.

"Yeah… but'cha gotta figure… some of 'dem probably already recovered by now," TJ told them, "least those who didn't crash."

"My goodness… how many do you think are out here?" Gwen looked worried again. "And we no longer have the element of surprise on our side."

Anna turned in the direction of the fire she had seen earlier. "I don't know how many there are," she looked back at her friends, "but if they were waiting for us before we arrived, there could be a lot more." She pointed toward the fire in the distance. "And that's where they'll be."

"So whadaya' wanna' do?"

Gwen looked at TJ. "They could be using the fire to rewarm any eggs they took before traveling back to the city."

Anna shook her head. "I think the fire was meant to draw us to this spot." She looked back at Gwen. "But I guess we'll have to check anyway."

"So you're sayin' they might be waitin' fer' us again?" TJ didn't like the sound of that.

"Could be… yeah."

"Anna's right… we have to check it out."

The three girls turned to see Sarah Bell walking toward them with her wand in her hand.

Anna smiled. "You sure you're up for it, roomie?"

Sarah was smiling back, but her expression suddenly fell as she quickly raised her wand at them.

"Stupefy!" she yelled, and a flash of red light streaked passed them and hit another man pointing his wand at them from behind a tree.

Sarah lowered her wand before looking at Anna once more. "I'm good… let's go!"

Anna nodded and then headed toward the distant fire with Sarah and Gwen following close behind them.

TJ eyed the stunned wizard Sarah had hexed. "Jim-man-ny!" she whispered, looking wide-eyed at Sarah's back. "She's gonna bag herself a baker's dozen b'fore the night's done." She smirked at the unconscious man again.

"Low down bushwhacker!" She spotted the man's wand lying next to his open hand and stomped it into splinters. "I hope the critters livin' in the darkest places find ya b'fore ya wake!" she said scathingly, before turning to follow her fellow Guardians through the trees.

The four girls traveled watchfully in the direction of the fire with their wands out, quietly climbing over fallen trees and rocks and circling the camp one time completely before getting close enough to hear several voices in the center of the clearing. On a few occasions, they found the remains of broken eggs and even a few dead and mutilated embryos discarded among the roots. Anna could hear whimpering behind her and turned to find Sarah Bell covering her mouth in revulsion.

Anna caught her eye and nodded. "I know… it's terrible."

"Monstrous…" Sarah murmured back.

Suddenly, there was another frantic whisper. "Anna!"

Anna and Sarah turned to see Gwen and TJ staring down at something between two fallen trees. They looked horrified.

Gwen turned away and ran past them covering her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick," she moaned.

Anna and Sarah joined TJ who was pointing down at a spot where the moonlight had illuminated a path through the canopy. The body of a man still in his robes was face down in the leaf litter. His head and the top of his shoulders had been pulled into a burrow beneath one of the trees and they could see something with gray eyes slowly crewing.

"Oh my God," Sarah whispered. She turned away as TJ leaned into Anna.

"Anna… if'in we don't come up wit'a plan soon, somebody'll find our heads down in'a barrow too."

Anna looked at TJ and then over to Sarah who was offering Gwen what comfort she could. "I'm going in to see how many are down there."

TJ grabbed her arm. "What? Not alone? Girl that's nuts!" TJ whispered back, worriedly.

Anna smiled. "Don't worry… I've got the best disguise in the world. Trust me… I'll be right back."

A minute later, TJ was standing next to Sarah and Gwen.

Sarah looked around and frowned. "Where's Anna?"

"She's gone down'ta check out the camp and report back."

"What!" Gwen pulled out her wand again. "All by herself? How could you let her do that?"

TJ tilted her head to the side and shrugged. "There was no stoppin' her." She pointed to a spot below them and the two girls leaned over a fallen tree to peer down.

"I don't see anything," Gwen whispered nervously.

"Yeah… I'm thinkin' that's the whole point. Look… right there! You see it?"

The girls looked again, struggling hard to focus on where TJ was pointing. There was nothing to see until they saw a shadows under another tree begin to move. It stopped and quickly disappeared once more and Gwen concentrated hard to see what she knew was there, but nearly invisible.

"She's gotta teach me that Lethifold thang'," TJ whispered longingly.

"Well — well — well…" said a voice behind them and the girls around up to find another wizard standing there with his wand pointed down at them.

"Three in a sack—imagine that?" He smiled broadly. "Which one of you is Anna Grayson?"

The three girls didn't say a word and they were too terrified to move. It wasn't the poacher or his wand that frightened them; they were watching a misshapen shadow emerging from the woods behind the man. Twisted, distorted and silent, they could tell the thing was massive by the way its silhouette blackened the entire Shadowed Forest behind him.

"On your feet, girlies. Let's get you down by the fire so we can see which of you has the red hair."

There was a shushing sound and the awful smell of something putrid filling air. The man frowned and then slowly turned to look back. They heard him gasp, but his terror was immediately cut short when something resembling a twisted dagger unexpectedly shot out of his back. It was dripping with something black in the moonlight and Sarah almost shrieked before TJ was able to cover her mouth. The wizard dropped his wand and his body slowly went limp and began to twitch oddly. There was a dreadful, breathing wail that sounded like the wind had suddenly come to life. It sucked the dirt and leaves into the air all around them and when the girls looked up again the man was gone.

"Shhhh… "TJ whispered into Sarah's ear. "It's gone now. Whatever it was… it's gone." She released Sarah and left the girl trembling in her arms.

"Sweet Jesus… how are we going to get out of here?" Gwen whimpered.

"What's the matter? What's happened?" They looked up and found Anna standing over them.

TJ looked between the trees where the other poacher had disappeared. "Nothin'…" she said, still trembling, "just… another bushwhacker down, is all."

Anna stooped down to look closely at her friends. "There's five more poachers down by the fire and a stack of eggs being warmed for transport. There must be at least fifty eggs down there."

Sarah suddenly straightened; she looked horrified. "Fifty!"

"I'm afraid so… and there's more." Anna looked around cautiously. "Their leader is with them tonight as well. He's down there directing everything."

"You mean the limping man?" Gwen asked her.

"No… it's the one they call the _Collector_. I couldn't see his face under his robes, but I heard one of the poachers talking to him. They're moving the eggs tonight. If we don't stop them now, who knows how many more will end up destroyed?"

The moonlight above them suddenly went dark again and a strange hissing sound could be heard somewhere in the woods surrounding them once more. Anna slowly stood and then looked around warily. She looked down at her friends and could see the fear in all of them. She thought for a moment and then bent down.

"Listen to me. I know we've already been through a lot tonight and we've all seen some really terrible things, but you have to trust me when I tell you that nothing in this forest will ever harm you."

Anna stood before them again and wrapped her body within her purple robes. "You are members the Order of Merlin, Guardians of magic and the protectors of these lands. Every one of you came here tonight to defend and safeguard this magical place from men like those working to strip this forest for profit. We've done some things to stop them, but we're not finished yet. There are still those eggs down by the fire, stolen from their mother's nests, and I need your help to take them back. I can't do this alone. Will you come with me? Can you fight on?" The stars were revealed behind her again and the smell of rotting flesh began to slowly dissipate.

Gwen looked at TJ and then the two of them stood.

"Let's finish this, boss," TJ whispered determinedly. "There's still some fight left in this dog and there ain't no way I've come this far to let those eggs go."

The three girls looked down at Sarah Bell and wondered if the girl could go on. Sarah wiped her nose and then pushed herself up to stand. She pulled out her wand again and a look of steely determination seemed to glide across her face.

"Showtime," she whispered.

THREE

One of the poachers was stacking eggs from a pile being warmed by the fire and into a wooden cart for transport. He looked up when he saw two of his friends limping out of the woods and into the clearing. One had the other's arm over his shoulder and was helping him to sit.

"Well… did you capture her?" asked a hooded man.

"No Collector," said one of the men who then collapsed next to the fire. "They were too much for us."

Another tall poacher marched over and kicked the man's legs. "What do you mean they were too much for you? There were only two of them!"

"No… there were four… all girls, all in purple robes."

The hooded man they called the Collector sneered. "Was she with them?"

The man looked up. "Yeah… the red-headed girl was leading them." He pointed into the woods. "She's on foot now, somewhere close by… I'm sure of it."

The other man kicked him again. "Did you at least kill the others?"

The man remained silent, too afraid to speak.

"IDIOTS!" the man screamed. "You've put the greatest haul we've ever had at risk with your incompetence. Four school girls… and you couldn't handle them?"

The one they called the Collector placed a hand on the tall man's shoulder. "Easy… have a care. It's not important. Only Anna Grayson is important now."

The man whipped around and frowned. "To hell with Anna Grayson. We've given blood for these eggs and I want what's owed us. That's all that ever mattered to me!"

He turned on the man on the ground again. "Where are the rest of your men?"

The man looked up at him and then around at the surrounding forest. "I think they're gone."

"Gone!" The poacher kicked the man again. "What do you mean they're gone? Gone where?"

"It wasn't our fault. As soon as we started to get the upper hand against the girls…." the man hesitated.

"What?" The man bent down and fisted the other by his collar. "Tell me… where are the other men?"

"The forest… I think the forest took them."

"Took them? What the hell does that mean?"

"It's true," said the other man sitting next to him. "As soon as the girls were down on the ground, we thought we could capture them easily, but the forest and some of creatures in it started to attack us."

"And the girls?" asked the Collector serenely. "Did the forest attack the Guardians as well?"

The two men looked at each other and one of them shook his head.

"Interesting…" hummed the hooded man, "perhaps…. there might be something to this Guardian legend after all."

The Collector laughed out loud and then turned to look into the dark woods surrounding them. The light of the fire made it difficult to see past the shadows, but he had to admit, "They could be out there right now, watching us… getting ready to attack."

"Yeah… maybe," The tall man said, glaring disbelievingly down at his men. He turned to look at the Collector. "But so what! There's still seven of us here to protect the cargo."

The Collector smiled under his hood before turning to look up at the star-scattered sky. "More than two dozen men… defeated by four Guardians barely old enough to hold a wand." He looked at the poachers again. "You have to admit… it's very impressive." He casually peered over to stare into the woods to the side and smiled again. "It's no wonder you want her so badly, Tom," he whispered to himself.

The Collector walked over to the fire and pointed his wand down. "_Aqua Eructo…" _he whispered, and a jet of water began to douse the flames.

"What the hell are you doing? We're not ready to leave yet," complained the poacher. "We need more time to…"

"I believe, gentlemen… that we've run out of time."

A purple hex suddenly came streaking out of the forest and struck the tall man directly in the chest. The spell sent him flying into the cart, breaking its axle and toppling the rolling eggs to the ground. Four Guardians suddenly rushed into clearing, firing hexes and spells in every direction among the remaining poachers. Anna was focused on the one they called the Collector, and was immediately astonished at how fast the man moved to disappear into the forest. She began to chase after him, but was tackled by two men who tried to take her wand.

"This is the one we want," yelled one of the men. "Bind her — and kill the others!"

A moment later, the two men found themselves lying face down in the dirt. They looked at each other in surprise and then down again at the blackened ground beneath them.

"Where'd she go?"

The two men scrambled to their feet to look around as the battle around them continued.

"Did she Apparate?"

A growl turned their attention around where they saw a blackened version of Anna Grayson growing seemingly out of the ground before them. When she got to her full height, her eyes opened and she snarled at them through blackened fangs. She stretched her palms out at them and blasted the men off their feet.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_Another poacher fell petrified onto his back, as Gwen ran by to fire at another wizard aiming at TJ.

The Guardians were moving with military precision until their numbers were equal and then slowly fell to the girl's advantage. There were four poachers left, then three, and then two. Finally, there was only one who tried to escape on a broom before TJ set his trigs on fire and sent him crashing into the woods like a streaking comet.

"Stop!" roared a voice from out of the shadows. "Drop your wands!"

Anna wheeled around to point her recovered wand at the voice hidden behind a tree and then snarled angrily.

From the corner of her eye, Anna saw TJ already beginning to fall back. In all of their battles together in dueling hall, she immediately understood the girl was moving to outflank whoever it was yelling out at them from the woods.

"DO NOT MOVE, Guardian," the man yelled at TJ, "or the young one dies!"

Gwen crouched low to take aim at the hooded Collector stepping out from behind the trees. He was holding a wand to Sarah Bell's neck.

"I said drop your wands… NOW!"

Anna's eyes widened. "You!"

She could finally see under the man's hood and the wrappings covering his face and hands.

"The cursed man," Anna whispered in surprise.

242


	35. Chapter 33 - My Kind

Chapter 33D05

Chapter 33 (Draft 05)

My Kind

ONE

TJ frowned. "Do you know this guy, Anna?" She slowly straightened to point her wand. "Mummy-man… if'in you don't want to die tonight… you'd better let my friend go!"

The man grabbed Sarah by the hair and yanked her head back hard. Sarah yelped and her friends watched in horror as the cursed man's wand moved the tip of his wand up to her left temple. The man smiled evilly through this bandages, as he twisted the tip of his want into Sarah's head.

"_Avada…."_

"NO WAIT!" Anna pleaded, moving her wand away. She looked at her friends. "Please guys… lower your wands."

"The hell you say!" TJ fired back.

"DO IT!" the cursed man barked back. He pushed his wand into Sarah's head again and she yelled out in pain. "Or I will kill your little friend!" TJ and Gwen looked at each other and reluctantly lowered their wands.

Anna was appalled. "If you would dare to use the killing curse now… then you wouldn't have hesitated to use the spell of enslavement a few months ago. It was you who used the _Imperious Curse_ on Sarah to spy on me… why?"

"Of course it was me, you stupid girl. I had to know if your mother ever tried make contact with you."

"My… mother? What's my mother have to do with this? You said you were with Victoria Grayson when she helped you to escape Voldemort."

Gwen groaned at the name, which made the cursed man smile.

"You were so easily manipulated, Anna Grayson, but you are indeed very brave one to call the Dark Lord by chosen name." He pulled Sarah's hair hard again and she began to cry. "But fewer still would call him by his real name… a name I was free to use when we were last together… Tom Riddle."

TJ frowned and then looked over. "Anna… who's this guy? What's goin' on?"

Anna looked at her friend and then to Gwen on her other side. "I've been such a fool," she admitted openly. "This is the man who killed Michael Wendell."

Gwen gasped. "Him? But… why?"

Anna looked at the man again who was still smiling back at her. "You warned me about Swooper being in danger because you knew I would run blindly into the stalls to protect him. You wanted me found with Wendell's body."

The cursed man nodded. "You did have a very good reason to kill him though, didn't you? I mean… who could blame you? After all, he tried to kill you on the Vollucross field last year. But I needed to strengthen the case against you more."

"Anna… what the hell is he talking about?" Gwen whispered.

Gwen looked over and could see the wrath in Anna's eyes, burning like a stoked fire. Anna stepped forward angrily and the man yanked Sarah back again.

"Stop… or I'll break her neck!"

Anna halted once more, but her entire body looked like it was shaking uncontrollably. "You stabbed my mount!" Deep inside the Sithmaith's skull there came a ringing proposition: _Blood for blood!_

"You tried to kill Swooper!"

"So easily controlled," the man sneered. "I'll admit… I was somewhat ashamed of myself for hurting such a beautiful magical creature, but I needed to give you another reason to kill the man who hurt you on the Vollucross field, didn't I?" He smiled evilly.

"It was soon after that bit of fun that I decided to make your roommate here my slave. I needed her to take something of personal value from you, so that I might plant it as evidence against you later. And it was through my interrogation of her that I found out about your blasted kaleidoscope. Just imagine my horror at finding you had the means at your disposal to find me out."

Anna seethed with rage. "So you had Sarah destroy my scope and take some of the gems to use later to incriminate me again."

"Very good, Grayson… yes… that was my plan, but as it turned out the will of this little thing was much stronger than I could have imagined." She tightened his grip around Sarah's neck. "I was especially offended when I saw her trying to fight off my _Imperious Curse_ on the drawbridge and then throw herself into the moat rather than to obey me." He wrenched Sarah head back to whisper into her ear. "You've been a very naughty, little girl!"

"Why did you try to frame me?" Anna yelled out. "I've never done anything to you. I never even knew you existed until you revealed yourself to me our first day back at school in September."

"I just told you why… I had to find a way to make contact with your mother."

"But why?"

"Because… as you well know already… she is a Death Eater!"

Sarah and Gwen gasped in surprise and Anna dropped her head in sudden despair. She remembered their trip home almost one year ago when she told her friends what had happened in the dungeons of Drogo, about finding her mother, mentally broken by Voldemort's torture, a vampire starving for blood, starving enough to feed on her own daughter. Anna remembered telling them everything… even what Thordarson had described as her mother's 'dissociative identity', but she never told them her mother was willingly branded a Death Eater.

"How dare you say such a thing?" TJ roared back. She pointed her wand at the man again. "I've stewed skunks fer less!"

The man's eyes flashed. "And why wouldn't I say it? It is the truth." Sarah screamed again as he twisted her head back. "Besides," he continued, looking again at Anna, "I've always thought that was Victoria Grayson's best quality."

"And if'a lie were the truth… that would make you Death Eater too!" TJ hollered back, trying to take aim at any opening she could find.

"Oh no… I've never been granted that special privilege," the bandaged man replied. "You see, my time with Tom Riddle was long, long ago… before he became what he has become today. Oh… those were good days: Killing Muggles for fun and Tom always let me drain their blood. The two of us understood each other's needs that way, you see." He glared at Anna. "Your mother would have understood that too."

TJ looked at Anna and Gwen and shook her head. "A frothin' dog is better put down." She took careful aim again. "And I'm thinkin' Sarah wouldn't mind if'in I took the shot!"

"No… I wouldn't mind," Sarah coughed back hoarsely. The man yanked Sarah's body between himself and TJ.

"You seem to know a lot about my mother," Anna replied, trying desperately to remain calm. "Why would you go through all the trouble to bring her back to the Spellsburg?" She could see the man's eyes smiling through his bandages.

"I know Victoria Grayson very well. In fact, I would wager that I've spent more time with her than any other wizard alive. Even… your father."

Anna frowned and then thought. He was lying, of course, trying to buy more time before more of his smuggling friends arrived.

"Honestly, I do miss Victoria's company, but I needed her back here for other reasons as well. So I killed the boy in a way to make the city believe it was you who murdered him.

"I really believed that by putting her daughter in danger, Victoria would be forced to return to the plateau to save you. And when that didn't work… I was forced to try again."

"So you killed Sidney Heidelbach too." Anna sneered angrily.

The man smiled evilly again and this time Anna saw something in his smile that surprised her. It sent her mind whirling backward in time, to her mother's dungeon cell and then everything suddenly started to make sense to her. Anna stared at the man, concentrating hard enough to hear his heart beating in the depths of her mind, and then she began to feel something more as well. There was something about him that was very familiar. It was in his voice and his being, and the sensations delivered confirmed her suspicions. Anna finally knew who the man was… and she was sure of something else as well: she knew what was driving him.

"Yes… I killed the Muggle, but not before I forced him to write that letter implicating you again," the man replied. "Muggles are lesser creatures in every way as compared to wizards, and I usually get what I want from them quickly enough. But in his case… your Sidney was decidedly against being a part in any plan that put you at risk. His will was incredibly strong for one of a weaker race. It took a lot of torture on top of the _Imperius Curse_ to finally break him, and it must be said… draining him afterward was invigorating."

Anna could feel the tears burning her eyes. She had always known Sidney Heidelbach was very brave and wonderfully courageous. She knew that when she first found him in the Shadowed Forest alone and fighting the strongest spells and creatures used to protect Spellsburg from any outside intrusion. He fought on for several days, seeking the truth about her mother and her family. Anna looked again at the thing holding Sarah his hostage.

"Sidney was stronger than you think, you murdering fiend, and despite everything you did to him, Sidney was still able to prove his words were forced to those who really knew me and my family."

"I suspected this was true after his death failed again to gather your mother in," the man replied with an uncaring shrug. "But I had put another plan in motion last summer just in case I failed to bring your mother back, or in the unfortunate event my friend Tom Riddle decided to kill her when she returned to him."

"You're talking about the Dragon's Lair," Anna finished.

Gwen shot a glare to TJ who also looked confused.

"Oh, that's very good, Anna. So you were able to figure that out as well? I'm impressed. Tell me how you put it all together and what you think you know."

Anna slowly stowed her wand in the pocket of her robes. For some strange reason she really didn't understand, the Guardian felt the knowledge she had just gained was more powerful than any spell she could muster to save Sarah with her wand. She finally looked up to explain.

"During the fight with the smugglers tonight, I heard one of them calling you - _'The Collector'_. That wasn't the first time I had heard that name. I also heard two smugglers in the dungeons of Castlewood talking about the collector as well. It was you who sent these men into the Shadowed Forest to steal the dragon eggs. You paid them to take enormous the risks in the Forest and to have them smuggled off the plateau with galleons you stole from your victims like Michael Wendell. I'm guessing you also used the _Imperius Curse_ on many other residents of Spellsburg to get the gold you needed. I remember reading about several runs on the bank after Mr. Scroggs' murder. I presume you killed him as well?"

"Yes… my third victim." the man replied. "I didn't think you would mind, considering all those nasty things he was writing about you in the newspapers. Oh… I really thought he created the perfect excuse for you to kill him, but even that failed to bring your mother back to me." The man smiled as he ran the tip of his wand across Sarah's cheek. "Please… continue, Anna; beguile me with your insight."

"You were buying the eggs to get the attention of another Death Eater or maybe Voldemort himself," Anna continued. She looked over to Gwen. "Trog told me the same thing was happening fourteen years ago before Voldemort disappeared. He was having his Death Eaters buy the eggs so they could use the dragons in the war to take over the Ministry." She looked at the man again. "You didn't need or even want the eggs. None of this was ever about the Lair. Your intention was to simply get the Death Eaters' attention. Once Voldemort found out somebody was buying the eggs again and realize it wasn't one of his Death Eaters doing it, he would surely send somebody to find out who was doing it. It was all about making contact with him."

"But why didn't he just leave the plateau and find somebody he knew was a Death Eater in the past," Gwen asked curiously. "Why was it necessary for one of them to come here?"

"Because he wouldn't dare get close to the docks, or near another ship with all of those wrappings covering his face, and he knew all the owls in and out of Spellsburg were being monitored." She looked over at Gwen. "Remember… the Crimson guards have been looking for an escaped prisoner from Drogo all year long. In fact, I know now… this is the man they've been looking for."

Gwen eyes widened in shock as she looked at the smiling man again and gripped her wand tight. "You mean this guy… he's the whacko who escaped from Drogo last year?"

"It's impossible," TJ shot back. "How could he be'da one they's lookin' fer? Drogo ain't anywhere near here."

Anna looked at her and smirked. "Drogo is closer than you think, TJ. In fact, it's just over those mountains to the north."

TJ looked back over her shoulder. It was as if she suddenly expected hundreds of the insane wizards to come barreling down the mountain upon them. She looked back at Anna again. "You sure 'bout that, Anna?"

Anna took a step toward the man holding Sarah again. "Absolutely sure; I've been there!"

"Well don't dat' beat all," TJ whispered, looking over her shoulder worriedly again.

Anna continued. "This man escaped from Drogo and killed another prisoner on the way out. Nobody understood why at the time, but I do. I understand why he did it now."

"Oh I like this game," the man replied, flippantly. "You're almost there … now let's see if you can get the rest."

Anna was still glaring at the man holding Sarah, but she spoke to her friends. "He did it for the same reasons he's wearing those bandages tonight. It was his backup plan in the event he was seen or questioned in the city. You see, everybody is looking for a younger man, Reginald Carter, but Carter was the one killed in the prison the night my mother escaped. I'm sure of it now."

TJ was suddenly horrified. "Yer… mother… escaped from Drogo?"

"Well… then who the heck is this guy?" Gwen said, looking puzzled. "Are you sure, Anna?"

"Yeah… I'm sure. He said it himself, didn't he? Didn't he just tell us about the time he spent with Tom Riddle when they were younger? We've all seen pictures of Carter in the newspapers and on all those wanted posters all over the city. Carter was much too young to have known Voldemort in his youth. In fact, this man has been in Drogo longer than anybody else… more than forty years."

"Oh excellent! So you do have me after all." The man pointed his wand at the wrappings upon his head. "Well then… I can dispense with these.

"_Depulso!_"

Instantly the bandages began to unwrap themselves into a spinning ball over the man's head and when they were off he cast them aside with a simple flick of his wand. To their surprise, the man hiding beneath was so unassuming even after all his threats to kill Sarah Bell. He was clean shaven and his hair was shoulder length and gray, but it was his eyes gave him away for the murderer he had always been in life. They were cold and steely-gray. They were the eyes of a madman, someone who had been a witness to so much suffering because he was its cause and he enjoyed every moment of it.

"Who the hell is this, now?" TJ asked them.

"Oh my God," Gwen said, gulping hard again and Anna could see her wand beginning to tremble in her hand. They had seen the man's face once before in a newspaper article about the escaped prisoner from Drogo and again in several of her nightmares since that day.

"His name is… Arief Sugianto," Anna growled under her breath.

TJ looked at the man again in shocked surprise. "Sweet Jesus!"

Despite the fact that Sarah's life had always been in mortal danger, the young Guardian suddenly looked terrorized to be in the man's clutches.

"Very good, Grayson; a remarkable display of sound reasoning and deduction. You are to be applauded on your intellect. Yes… it was I who escaped from Drogo that night, but it must be said I have you to thank for it.

"After you blasted your mother's dungeon door off its hinges, the backlash and resulting fires from the explosion quickly spread to all the doors in the hallway opposite. All of the spells immediately dropped away and within seconds a hole was burnt through my door large enough to escape. After Victoria made her exodus, the first guard showed up and was easily subdued. I took his wand and then used it to enter the adjoining cell next to mine.

"Poor Reggie; he had been my companion for many years and the fount of so many unenlightened conversations. He was a boring and intellectually stunted man, but he finally did provide a degree of usefulness over the last two minutes of his life when I killed him and then burned his body to hide his identity."

He looked at Anna again, his smile never faltering even after all his confessions of murder. "With a simple bit of transfiguration, I took what was left and turned it into something that might have looked like me, and in the seconds that followed, I quickly moved him to my cell and then made my way out before the Crimson Guards showed up in mass to find both Reggie and your mother had escaped."

"They assumed the mutilated body in your cell meant you had been murdered," Anna finished.

"The irony and success of the rouse astounds me even today," Sugianto answered back.

"But you still haven't told us everything yet, have you?" Anna asked him.

The man looked uncharacteristically confused. She could tell it wasn't something that happened to him very often.

"We all know why you were sent to Drogo, but you've haven't told us why you've been locked up in the lowest dungeons, or why it was necessary to apply all those special enchantments upon your door. Why it was you were caught in the act of drinking the mixed blood of so many Muggle victims and why you continued to drain the bodies of the three men you killed this year in the city."

The man's eyes widened with impending delight. "No… I suppose I didn't." he answered back. "Well… you've been so delightfully intriguing thus far, why don't you explain why these things were done."

Anna looked to her left at Gwen and then to her right at TJ. She could still sense Sugianto's familiarity across the space between them. "At first I thought it was my mother who was killing these men to protect me, but it was you who put that idea in my head the very first day I met you. It also gave Lieutenant Dunning a reason to truly suspect me, because he mistook my guilt about my mother as something that implicated me."

Sugianto leaned down to whisper into Sarah's ear, "So easily manipulated."

"There was only one reason it was necessary to lock you down in the deepest pits of hell with my mother and why you've had a taste for blood all your life." She stared at him knowingly. "It's because, like my mother, you too are a vampire."

Sugianto stared back at her. There was no smile, no hint at being amused any longer. His stare deepened and Anna could feel a recognizable power trying to dig its way through her mental defenses and deeper still into her soul. But the Sithmaith was prepared for this the moment she realized what the man really was, when she saw the weapons of the creature he was embedded in his smile, his blackened tongue and graying teeth.

Anna smiled back at him and then abruptly slammed the doors of her mind closed with such ferocity that the returning wave of energy was almost visible between them. The man's head snapped back and then he opened his mouth fully to roar back at them. His face changed in an instant to show several protruding bones in his face and deadly fangs.

"Oh my God!" Gwen screamed, and TJ was knocked off her feet by the power of his howl.

The vampire yanked Sarah's head to the side to expose her white neck. He roared again and Sarah screamed in terror.

"WAIT!" Anna yelled, and the creature holding her friend suddenly froze. His eyes moved up to glare back at her from under a darkened brow and he grinned evilly. He opened his mouth and a black, rasp-like tongue poured out to slowly scrape across Sarah's neck. He suddenly straightened and then smiled.

"Just kidding!" he said, amusedly.

Anna never flinched, never showed one second of terror or fear for her friend. She walked forward until Sugianto's smile fell away.

"Be very careful," Anna said, knowingly. "Sarah is your only protection right now and I promise you this: if you put your fangs on her, you'll be dead before you draw once to swallow.

Sugianto smiled again and Anna snarled back showing her fangs.

"Be very… careful, _my kind_," Anna growled, threateningly.

The man's eyes widened in surprise. "So… you _are_ so much more than meets the eye. I knew this the moment you entered the dungeons of Drogo without raising the alarms, of course, but my suspicions were confirmed when you found a way to enter your mother's cell. I'm still not exactly sure how you did it, but no matter. It only proved to me that you were something… very special, and in fact very valuable."

The two stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before the man finally broke the silence with the obvious. "So it would seem we find ourselves in something of a standoff."

"No… not really," Anna replied calmly. She looked up into the dark canopy. "It's going to be light soon, and at sunrise you can be assured the dragons of the lair will discover our presence here. The smugglers you sent into the Shadowed Forest already know this, of course, but you'll find the Vipertooth don't take kindly to intruders getting this close to their nests."

"Aren't you afraid too?" the man answered back. "You and yours would make just as tasty a morsel as me."

Anna looked around at Gwen and TJ. "But we are Guardians. We're here to protect the nests where as you and yours…" Anna shrugged uncaringly.

"Hmmm, I see your point." The man smiled again. "Well then I guess we had better put an end to this before the dawn."

"Whatever you say, _my kind_; sunrise on the Cliffs of Knowtor is truly a spectacular thing to witness. You might even enjoy it… that is… right up to the time the dragons begin feeding you to their young."

Anna frowned. "While we wait, could I ask you something else?"

"Make it quick. After all… death, it would seem, do cometh with the dawn."

Anna forced a smile. "You murdered four people and tried to kill my mount, you framed me for your crimes and you hired these wizards to steal from the Cliffs of Knowtor. You used an unforgiveable curse on Sarah Bell to spy on me and again on the citizens of Spellsburg to steal their gold; you then attacked my friends." She frowned at him. "You did all of this just to get my mother's attention, or some other Death Eater who would eventually tell Voldemort of your escape? I take it this means you intend to join him?"

"Join with, partner with… it's all semantics really. The important thing is that I escape from this retched plateau."

"I can understand your wanting to leave this place, but are you sure you want to go back to Voldemort? If you haven't heard, he's become something of a murdering lunatic."

"Haven't we all?"

"But… what makes you think he'll want you back?"

"Of course he'll want me back. In fact, I know when sees me, it'll be a homecoming written for the ages. After all, I was the one who helped him with his very first murder. I was the one who taught him the killing curse, which he first used enthusiastically at the age of twelve on his own Muggle father."

Anna was stunned. _Voldemort's father was a Muggle?_

Sugianto continued. "You know… you never asked me the one question I expected you would more than any other."

Anna turned to face him again. "Oh really? I'm sorry… I thought we covered everything. What did I miss?"

He shrugged and then licked Sarah's neck again. Anna could hear Sarah whimpering as the disgusting act drew a little blood.

Anna took two quick steps forward to make him stop before he looked up to say, "You never asked me if I ever successfully made contact with a Death Eater."

The thought of that made Anna's heart sink. _Was he just trying to scare them? Was this another delaying tactic meant to bring more smugglers to his rescue?_ She tried to remain calm.

"If you're trying to tell us your rescue party is on the way, I've never had any doubts about that, but if you're asking me to believe those coming would include a few Death Eaters… then yes… I find that extremely hard to believe. If the Death Eaters were here already… they would be with you now, and no other ships have arrived at the docks today. We checked." Anna looked over to Gwen who nodded back.

"Oh, you are so thorough… and you're absolutely right, of course. However, I finally did find a Death Eater who was willing to buy my dragon eggs for his master. A man you and your friends call… the limping man.

Gwen was shocked. "The limping man is a Death Eater?" She looked at Anna. "Did you know?"

Anna was surprised too. She shook her head. "No… but I know he works in the Ministry of Magic."

"A Death Eater is workin' in the Ministry?" TJ said, disbelievingly.

"When I rescued Taurus, I overheard the limping man say he works somewhere in the Ministry."

TJ was anxious, but Anna was suddenly fearful for her friends. _Why would Sugianto_ _tell us about a Death Eater rooted within the Ministry unless he was certain we would never be able to warn the authorities?_

"It did, however, take much more than a few dragon eggs to get him to agree to help me escape the plateau," Sugianto continued, smiling at Anna. "You see, the mistake you and your Guardian friends have made tonight is assuming the reason we're all here is to raid the nests again, but that was never the plan at all." He looked into the night sky. "I'm not sure who is supposed to be here, or when they intend to arrive," he looked down at Anna again, "but my real mission was to deliver you here in this exact spot right now."

Anna's expression fell. Suddenly, there was an unexpected whooshing sound somewhere over their heads above the trees. They crossed north to south and then one more crossed east to west. She looked at her friends who seemed just as startled.

"Uh-oh," Gwen moaned worriedly.

The three whooshing sounds crossed overhead once more before landing in a cloud of blackened ash next to Sugianto. Three men in black robes suddenly appeared from out of the ash wearing silver marks with caged mouths.

"Are you Sugianto?" asked one of the men.

"Ah! My dear friends — I am indeed. I'm so glad you were able to make it through the plateau's barriers so easily. I'm impressed. "

"We had help," answered the second man. "Our mission is the collect the girl and then head for the castle."

Anna's mind was screaming, _the castle?_

The men looked at the three girls in purple robes who were now pointing their wands at them. The third man in black laughed out loud.

"Which one is Anna Grayson?"

"That would be the redhead in the middle," the old man replied, pointing at Anna.

"Well let's get this done… we're on a tight schedule tonight." He suddenly raised his wand at Anna and yelled, _"__Stupefy!"_

"_Protego!"_Anna blocked the spell easily.

Sugianto smiled. "Oh you'll have to do much better than that, gentlemen. Despite their youthful appearance, these three are not without skill."

The first man smiled. "Good… I was hoping for a little action tonight. Still I would have thought…"

"_Stupefy!"_

A spell from TJ's wand hit the man square in the chest and sent him flying backward into the woods.

"I… told… you," Sugianto sang.

"Son of a…" yelled another man who pointed his wand to fire back only to realize too late the three girls had already disappeared. "Do it now!" the man yelled. "She can't be allowed to escape!"

The other man raised his wand skyward. _"__Rutilus_ _Capturus!"_

A brass colored light shot from the end of his wand into the air and exploded over the trees. Shards of golden light began to travel slowly down to the ground to form a golden cage all around them.

"Oh very good," Sugianto said happily. "They won't be able to go far now."

"Who said we were going anywhere, you maniac!" The man looked around to find Anna already pointing her wand into Sugianto's mid-section.

_"Confringo!"_

Sugianto was blasted off his feet and landed with a heavy thud and sprawled on his back. Anna grabbed Sarah by the arm. "Let's go!"

They ran into the woods together as Anna continued to fire back over her shoulder. Several killing curses smashed into the trees around them.

"Stop that, you fool!" yelled one of the masked men. "The Dark Lord wants her alive!"

Anna and Sarah headed deeper into the forest, but stopped as the golden cage moved forward to block their path.

"Anna, wh… wh… what should we do? I do… don't have m… m… my wand!"

"Shhh… stay calm. We'll find a way out of this, I promise."

"But we're tr… tr… trapped inside this thing."

Anna looked around and smiled at her roommate. "Or… you could say they're trapped inside this thing with us, right?"

Sarah smiled back.

"And besides… I think you've forgotten something really important here."

Sarah frowned up at her.

Anna looked around again and smiled. "It suddenly looks like the Fourth of July out here right now." She looked up into the trees. "How many dragons do you think will notice a great big dome of bright light so close to the cliffs?"

Sarah looked around. She could see every tree surrounding them in silhouette by the light of the dome. The girl smiled back gleefully.

"Lots!"

Anna nodded and then dropped as another hex smashed into the tree in front of them. "Yep… the cavalry is on the way, I'm sure of it." She ducked and squinted again as another hex just missed them. "We just need to find a way to survive until they get here. Let's move!"

Anna took Sarah by the hand and in an instant their bodies were engulfed in a bending light of color.

"Did you see that?" one Death Eater said to the other. "Damn — that girl is fast!"

"Move! Follow her trail. We have to get this situation under control. We're already supposed to be heading for the castle by now!"

Sarah was having trouble breathing as the swirl of color and wind moved about them. She held tight to Anna's hand until they stopped running and the light of the dome moved again to block their path.

"Rats!" She looked back at Sarah. "The dome is shrinking. We don't have as much time as I thought."

"Wh… wh… what just happened?" Sarah said, trying to catch her breath. "Did we Ap… Ap… Apparate?"

"No… already tried that; can't do it while we're inside the dome. We're just running really fast." Anna looked back at Sarah and smiled again. "I think I learned it from Glors the last time I was at the cliffs."

"Trog's wife ta… ta… taught you to run like that?" Sarah looked doubtful. "You'll have to teach me that trick."

Anna looked over to the wall of light closing in on them. She reached out and touched it and, "OUCH!"

Sparks of pain shot through her body and a river of red light rose up from where she had touched the wall to the center of the dome high above them.

"Oops… I think I just gave away out position." She looked up at the dome again and saw two more red bands moving up to the center from the other side. Anna smiled. "The good news is I think I know where Gwen and TJ are now. Let's head over there."

Anna took Sarah's hand again and in a blur of color they were moving once more. Sarah kept her eyes closed as they zigged and zagged, left and right, avoiding and actually outrunning several hexes that began to chase after them.

Suddenly a spell of unbelievable power hit the both of them and they flew into the wall of the dome. Sparks of pain slammed into both of the girls and then Anna could only see blackness. A few seconds later, Anna awoke to find Sarah Bell still unconscious next to her.

"Sarah?" Are you alright? The girl didn't move. Anna leaned over her friend to feel for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief. "Come on, girl," she said, lifting Sarah onto her feet again. "We gotta go!"

A spell suddenly smashed into her back and Anna toppled to the ground with Sarah on top of her. A Death Eater appeared from out of the forest.

"I got them!" he yelled.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"__Anna yelled, and the man instantly froze where he stood and then fell on top of her._

_Anna began struggling to roll the body off. "Sarah! Wake up! You have to help me." She pushed and tried to roll. "Come on!"_

_There was a flash of red light again, an enormous amount of pain, and then there was only hopeless darkness. _

241


	36. Chapter 34 - Face to Face

Chapter 34D05

Chapter 34 (Draft 05)

Face to Face

ONE

_Guardian… you must awaken!_

From amid the black and purple eddies of nothingness, a consciousness is suddenly aware of its surroundings.

_Where am I? What is this place?_

Anna found herself floating through the black vastness of oblivion with but a single thought – _How do I escape?_

Sound doesn't exist in this place, as void as the light that would have helped to secure what little mettle she had left, but her courage was crushed by panic when she realized she could not move.

The Guardian could neither hear nor see anything but the ebb and flow of some strange heaviness holding her body down in this unknown place, and then she realized… she was sinking. Perhaps, she thought, she was drowning… sliding into the depths of death and in whose grip she was only awakened to prove the reaper had finally called her name.

_It's so unfair,_ the Guardian thought to herself. _Surely, everybody deserves the chance to witness the scythe's fall, or at least… see it pulled back to ready the final blow._

_Guardian… why do you slumber? Awaken!_

A flash of light is seen somewhere above her and an unexpected eagerness starts to build. She could not move, but hope might yet be delivered to explain what has happened to her. _There it is again, _she thought_. _Another glimpse of light illuminated the purple swirls of despair surrounding her.

_Guardian… you must awaken!_

And then she began to hear strange voices all around her.

"My Lord, we did not expect you would be joining us tonight. Had we known…"

"You would have obeyed my commands to the letter," said a hissing voice, in sharp reply. "Did I not tell you the girl was not to be harmed?"

A second voice finally broke in to override the others. _Guardian… awaken!_

Magic's call within Anna's mind was urgent, but when the Guardian finally tried to respond, she found she could not open her eyes. She was suddenly terrified, but relieved she could hear again and could feel the coldness of the air surrounding her… and then, to her dismay, a good measure of lingering pain within her body.

_Oh my God, what's happening?_ She tried to move her arms and her legs, but nothing of herself was responsive. It took her several seconds to remember she was being chased by black hooded men in silver masks. She was with Sarah Bell, she had her friend by the hand, and then a spell had hit the both of them and then a second hex struck her and then… _and then nothing._

Anna tried to move once more, but it was impossible. She heard the voices speaking all around her once more, voices she had never heard before that night.

"Stunned is all, my Lord. She wasn't as easily taken as the rest. I will revive her immedi…"

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

There was a whooshing sound of somebody's breath being snatched away in a flash of blinding, green light on the other side of Anna's eyelids.

_Oh my God!_

If Anna could have moved her body it would have been trembling.

"Gaskins!" hissed the whispering voice again.

"Right away, my Lord."

There were footsteps coming closer and then, _"Rennervate!"_

Anna felt a huge weight being lifted away from her body and at once she opened her eyes to find a masked figure pointing his wand at her.

"_Stupefy!"_

Purple light from Anna's wand sent the man in black flying backward. She got to her feet and quickly looked around. The golden dome was sill surrounding them, and she could feel an almost suffocating pressure hanging in the air over her head. The enchantments used to keep her from Apparating were still in place.

It was much darker than what we remembered before being stunned and although she found herself in a small clearing within the trees, she could see nobody around her. Anna kept her wand high as she scanned the spaces between the trees. The moon was bright over her head… her only friend left standing.

She began to sense several heartbeats surrounding her. Some were Guardians, but at least five others were strangers. The tip of her wand slowly moved between the trees to pinpoint each of them, invisible to see, but there nonetheless… she was sure of it.

Her concentration deepened as her wand slowly moved along. It probed for a heartbeat she didn't recognize.

"_Stupefy!"_

A purple flash from her wand sent another hooded figure flying. She ducked low, expecting a number of retaliatory hexes in response, but nothing happened. She waited; every muscle in her body was set and ready for battle. Still, nobody showed themselves. She could sense them watching her, assessing every move she made from a distance. They were too close to stop them if they decided to finally strike back.

"What are you waiting for?" Anna growled into the darkness. There was no response. _Very well,_ she thought, as she straightened and raised her wand to probe the darkness once more. She moved slowly along a horizontal path, dowsing for another target. She stopped to smile, and then wheeled to her right and fired once more.

"_Scindoeverbero!"_

Another purple bolt shot forward and split itself in two. One of the beams hit a tree, behind which another hooded figure was hiding while the other beam abruptly turned upward and disappeared into the night sky above them. The hooded figure was visible only for a second within the glow of Anna's hex reflected in his silver mask. The figure ducked behind the tree just as the second half of Anna's spell came streaking down from heaven to strike the man in the top of the head. The silver mask shot away and the man crumbled.

Once more, Anna crouched low, expecting a quick reprisal, but all was quiet. _What the hell are they waiting for?_

She immediately stood straight and pointed her wand into the darkness once more. "I can do this all night, fellas," she quipped.

Her concentration deepened as her wand slowly moved, this time to the left before stopping once more. There was something very faint standing in the opening between two trees, so indistinct that she had almost missed it entirely. Magically hidden like the rest, this time the figure felt distant, as if his body was standing a few feet away but absent at the same time. She could sense he was calm, almost amused… but there nevertheless. Anna closed her eyes and concentrated hard, listening and focusing with all her remaining strength. She began to hear a faint thumping sound just off her aim. She turned her head without opening her eyes and his signal strengthened. The heartbeat was barely perceptible; maybe ten or so thumps a minute, _no… a lot less_. Her mind triangulated quickly and then she opened her eyes and moved her wand slightly back to the right.

"_Stupefy!"_

A flash of purple hit a luminescent cloud of vapor that revealed the man barely a second before disappearing once more. Her hex had easily been blocked. Instantly, a cloud of blackened ash shot forward from the remaining vapor to form a claw that swatted the purple heart out of Anna's hand. The Guardian screamed and dropped to the ground in pain. It felt as if her fingers were on fire.

"Very impressive," came a hissing voice from out of the darkness, and then three more men in hooded, silver masks stepped out of the trees. Finally, another man came forward from out of the remaining ash of the spell. He was barefooted, bald and had a face Anna would remember in all her nightmares to come. His features were snake-like and his eyes glowed red in the darkness.

"Anna Grayson," the man hissed softly. "At last… we finally meet."

TWO

Anna's wand hand was still within the flames, as if plunged into a pool of lava. She grabbed her wrist and looked down expecting to see the skin melting away from the bones of her hand, but even in her screaming torment Anna was able to recognize the pain. It had a signature of agony to it that took her memory back to the curse that had hit her when she saw Van Dorn's face in the mirror. Through her tears of misery and suffering, Anna looked up into the eyes of the man she prayed she would never see in the flesh.

"Voldemort!" she moaned in rattled torture.

One of the masked men immediately stepped forward, "You will address the Dark Lord properly, girl!"

"Lord Voldemort does not need an underling to speak for him, Mugabe," Voldemort hissed at the man. "Hold your tongue!" His eyes bloomed red before turning deadly cold and the man quickly bowed and fell back.

"Yes, my Lord. Of course, my Lord."

Anna was still in agony. It felt like her hand was melting away. As she gripped her wrist tight, she suddenly could feel the jade bracelet there. Without thinking about the danger it might cause to John Dell to bring him to her, Anna found herself repeating the words to summon him over and over again in her mind.

_John… please… oh God please… come to me. Help me, John!_

Voldemort looked down at her on her knees gripping her hand tight. "Does it hurt, Anna Grayson?" He sneered unapologetically. "Enough then," and with but a thought, Anna's pain was ended.

At first, the difference between the terrible pain just delivered and then the absence of it entirely was so great that Anna thought her hand must have fallen off her wrist completely; she was astonished to see it remained when she looked down. She quickly glanced to her left to see her purple heart lying in the dirt and tried to jump for it, but it was quickly snatched away. She looked up again and could see Voldemort already inspecting it closely.

"Hmmmm… this does look familiar," he said, appraisingly. "Purple heart." He looked at her and smiled. "And… the core?"

"Nundu… and Manticore," Anna growled back.

"Ah yes… I remember now." He looked at her again. "This would be the wand of Victoria Jennings."

"Victoria Grayson!" Anna spat back.

Voldemort was still inspecting her wand closely. He looked at Anna again and smiled. "One of a kind, I have no doubt, but according to wandlore… its allegiance to you might now be in question. He pointed the purple heart at her and Anna recoiled.

He stared at her and then frowned, as if something expected should have happened… but did not. He lifted the wand away.

"And then again… perhaps not." He opened his hand and the purple heart floated out before him as he raised his own wand to take aim.

Anna's eyes widened in horror. "No!"

There was a faint whisper, a flash of purple sparks, and Anna's wand was immediately snapped in two. There was a howl of sorrow filled wind somewhere in the woods as the two halves sputtered and popped as they fell without ceremony to the ground.

Anna's heart sank. Her mother's wand… destroyed.

Voldemort looked up at the golden dome surrounding them and then waved his hand over his head to remove it. He glowered at two of his men. "Shouldn't you be at the castle?"

"Yes, my Lord," they answered. Instantly, the two shot into the air like ashen bodies ejected from a volcano.

Anna slowly rose to stand again, her anger building.

"Why are you sending them to Castlewood?"

Voldemort looked back at her and she could see a sneer move across his lips. The man who saw himself as the ruler of the world wasn't used to somebody questioning his orders. "Because I wish to deliver a message to its Headmaster," he answered serenely.

"You mean its Chancellor."

Voldemort's eyes glowed for a moment. "Either way… my message means death for Thordarson."

Anna scoffed. She didn't care if her mocking him made the murdering fiend angry. "You really believe two Death Eaters will have a chance against…"

"The greatest wizard in the New World?" Voldemort said, cutting across her. He looked up to watch his Death Eaters heading off in the distance. He thought about it and then motioned to a third who sped off to join them. He then turned to Anna again.

"Probably not, but now that I've broken through the spells protecting this plateau, the element of surprise is on my side… and that could very well tip the scales and deliver an unexpected victory."

He displayed an almost insane smile before raising his wand to point at her. Instantly, Anna's arms and legs were locked together and she was lifted off her feet. "Come here, child," Voldemort whispered, and she slowly began to float toward him. She finally stopped within a foot of him face to face and his stare began to bore into her.

"So… you do know who I am," he said to her.

Anna gritted her teeth, trying with all her might to reach out to him. She found herself in a strange moment — willing to die just to get her hands around his snake-like neck. Sweat began pouring out of her.

"You're the murdering bastard who tried to kill my father and then when that failed, you tortured my mother into killing him for you! You destroyed her life!" She spat back.

"Me? Destroy Victoria Jennings?" He laughed. "No… Anna Grayson, in fact… I improved her life enormously." He watched her expression closely and could see Anna's eyes turn back with rage, as did the beads of sweat on her forehead. The Dark Lord found himself unexpectedly intrigued.

He suddenly reached up to seize Anna by the throat and the weight of her entire body was now suspended below his powerful grip. Anna's breathing was immediately cut off. She kicked and flayed before him as he pulled her forward to look closely at the black beads of sweat pouring out of her. He raised a single finger to probe the blackness and his eyes widened in amusement as each droplet reached out to snatch at him with tiny, sharpened crawls.

Anna's legs began to thrash and twist about as she wrenched at Voldemort's grip around her neck. She could feel whatever strength she ever had was no match against his power.

"You are… indeed… something different,"" he whispered softly again. "I wonder."

Anna could feel a startling wave of unbelievable pressure enter the space in the front of her brain and she immediate knew what Voldemort was doing to her. Damon had called it legilimency, the stealing of memories from another's mind. While both her brother and even the Minister of Magic's probing attempts to gain access to her mind were delicate, almost subtle, Voldemort was far more direct and immensely more painful. He ripped what door she had conjured to protect her mind completely off its hinges and stepped inside her brain as if he owned the place.

Pictures of her life began passing before her. She saw herself flying down the banister with Widwick on her lap, the school bus bully Veronica Drummond crying with her fingers buried in her mouth. She saw herself surfing, her fingertips creating jets of steam in the wall of water. She saw Damon sneering at her and her sisters laughing.

"No…" Anna whispered, as the Dark Lord probed her mind harder.

The images sped forward and all of her efforts to stop him were useless. She saw Sarah Bell crying as she cringed away from a castle house elf, Gwen bouncing her eyebrows, Eric hugging her, she was sitting on her father's lap.

"No…"

She saw the blankness within the Mirror of Enlightenment and its roaring voice, "She is… A GUARDIAN! SITHMAITH! Only those willing to sacrifice much may serve under this banner!" She saw the inside of her father's vault, a bag of gold, flying on Swooper, a blue orb following her through a darkened corridor, her hand disappearing into a door and then the slashing pain of a thousand knives cutting into her body.

"No…"

She saw her mother's face, her matted gray hair and her voice, "Your blood is warm, my kind," her fangs lunging forward.

"I said—NO!"

There was a sudden flash of purple light in Anna's mind and she could see the image of Voldemort being hurled backward.

"BANG!"

A second flash of purple exploded between Anna and Voldemort that sent the two of them flying backward in opposite directions. Anna hit the ground and gasped to catch her breath; her body had been without air for more than a minute.

"My Lord!" A Death Eater took Voldemort by the arm and tried to help his master to stand.

"Do not touch me!" Voldemort screamed back. The Dark Lord scrambled to stand and looked down at the still wheezing girl lying twenty feet away from him.

Voldemort frowned. He had always been a man drawn to power and whatever the knowledge necessary to gain more of it. His entire life had been devoted to the _Dark Arts_ because he was convinced the most powerful elements of magic existed only there and his journey to understand them had made him the most powerful wizard alive – perhaps even the most powerful wizard ever to have ever existed. He glared at the girl coughing in the dirt and wondered.

Voldemort looked to another Death Eater. "Bring me the others!"

"Yes, my Lord, as you command." The man turned and then disappeared into the forest.

Voldemort glared down at Anna again as she struggled to push herself up. He smirked as he raised his wand. He would know the extent of this power he did not understand.

"_Crucio!__"_

At once Anna's entire body was engulfed in pain and brought with it the most terrifying memories. She was forced to relive the final barriers to the dungeons of Drogo. The slashing pain of a thousand knives, white-hot from the devil's furnace, was upon her once again; they cut deep into her body and seared her flesh. Her head felt as if it were being split open as Voldemort twisted his wand over her. On and on it went until Anna's screams almost tore her throat open before the pain was suddenly stopped.

Anna lay before the Dark Lord whimpering. She thought of her mother and how long she had to endure this kind of torture before her mind finally snapped.

"_Legilimens!"_

Once again Anna's mind was torn open for inspection.

She saw her hands moving across the flesh of a whale in the open sea, Greechins carrying a stack of scrolls on top of his head, the fangs of the great ape of the Verosapt, her mother sitting upright in her deathbed. The image changed into Sarah Bell sitting in her bed, her blank-white eyes staring at Anna through the darkness, Eric kissing Sarah, Captain Reye hollering orders. She saw Leola Grayson floating through the air, the Minister of Magic shouting at her, Mrs. Porchdow hugging her, the images began to speed up.

"No…"

"Purple flags blowing on the merlons, flying with Swooper through the blurring alleyways of the Shadowed Forest, chasing a pixie on her flying door, she saw the cursed one hiding in the shadows, the limping man, Trog, sunrise on the Cliffs of Knowtor, Peppercorn being crushed in the jaws of a dragon, a baby dragon clinging to her chest, the face of Sidney dead on the cobblestones, magic within the walls of Castlewood speaking to her.

Voldemort frowned at what he saw last: Anna conversing with the stones of the Castlewood. He wanted to know more and he twisted his wand again with intensifying focus.

"No!" Anna screamed and another explosion of power and light blasted Voldemort's arm away. The Guardian quickly fell to the ground in breathless exhaustion.

The Dark Lord sneered. "Bring them to me now!" he screamed.

"I have them, my Lord. They are here."

Anna looked up and saw TJ, Gwen, Sarah Bell and the murderer Sugianto unconscious and floating through the air.

"Set them there," the Dark Lord ordered, pointing to an open spot ten yards away. He turned to Anna once again. "I have learned much about you these last few minutes, Guardian, but I seek much more now. I will know the full extent of your abilities." He raised he wand at her again.

"_Crucio!__"_

Once more Anna's body was plunged into pain. The knives of the unforgivable curse did their wanted work, tearing into her front, her back, her legs and arms. Her skull was cleaved in half. She screamed again, but this time she held onto an image within her mind she knew would help her to survive.

She pictured her mother in her place, suffering the same tortures for hours without end and the thought of it made Anna's anger grow. More cruelty was laid into her body and Anna thought of her mother having to endure it, and the rage within her soul swelled once more. More pain, she imagined her mother screaming, and with it the Guardian could feel the pain of the torture curse beginning to diminish. She was finally able to open her eyes and look up to see Voldemort smiling as he twisted the wand, purposely trying to increase her agony, but the more he tried, the more enraged Anna became to lessen the curse's affects upon her. Her vision began to darken and Anna sudden knew why her pain had weakened, why Voldemort's brutality was not having the desired effect. It was the Lethifold; it was coming.

Voldemort was rarely surprised, but when it did happen the events were etched like acid upon his memory. When he was a child and realized he had special abilities no one else shared. He found these abilities could displace his being bullied by the much larger boys at the orphanage where he grew up and make him their tormentor. A year later, another memory was cast in stone as well: Albus Dumbledore had come to his orphanage to tell him he was a wizard. He remembered at first being mesmerized by the idea of it and then quickly disappointed with the knowledge that others shared these marvelous gifts. He was once more just one among many and he immediately became obsessed with learning all he could about the power available to him.

He quickly learned this magical knowledge, both practiced and forbidden, could yield unrivaled power and he was determined to be unrivaled. Although it did not surprise him that there were two races of people in the world, those they called wizards and the rest they called Muggles, he was surprised to learn that his father, who had abandoned his mother before his birth, was a Muggle. The killing of his father at the Riddle house had been engraved in his memory as one of the most joyful moments in his life.

There were few surprises in the years that followed as Tom Riddle continued his studies of the Dark Arts to the depths no other wizard in history had dared. It was always ambition driving his needs, and ambition forever moved the surprise of revelation to the side of an unending desire for more power. His work of discovery did not allow for surprise… only gratification.

There was only one other time in his life where surprise unexpectedly visited the Dark Lord's door. It was at the Potter house in Godric's Hollow. After killing James and Lily Potter, he finally moved to destroy what the prophesy had said would be his only rival. _Born as the seventh month dies,_ their son it was said would gain the power to end all his ambitions. He remembered being within reach of his imaginings as he pointed his wand at the boy and then delivered what turned out to be his own agonizing death. Oh the surprise and torture of it: To have his soul ripped away from his body was more painful than what otherwise should have been a quick end without his horcruxes. But even after he had created a new body to mark the return of all his aspirations, Voldemort was not surprised by his success.

Ever since he failed to kill _the-boy-who-lived_, it had always been a well-planned journey to return, culminating in what was supposed to be the final death of Harry Potter. Although that plan had failed as well, he finally had another chance to kill the boy again this very night. He would finally have the long-awaited answer from the Ministry's Hall of Prophecy in his hand in just a few hours. It would mark the final end of Harry Potter and the beginning of his rise to unrivaled power over all. In fact, the only reason he had decided to embark upon this journey across the ocean tonight, and so far away from all his ambitions, was to occupy his mind while the prophecy was finally delivered and to collect on a promise made to him by an old friend. This friend had promised to deliver Anna Grayson to him in trade for his freedom from the protected plateau and from Spellsburg.

He had heard the stories about the new Guardians of Castlewood and of this girl, the daughter of one of his most devoted followers and one of his most ardent enemies. Anna Grayson was the first of the oldest guard known to the wizarding world - absent for more than fifteen centuries. Why had they returned? Was it possible to think their reemergence was somehow aligned to his own return to power? He had already tried to make contact with this girl, but was thwarted the summer previous by a ghostly protector of a type he had never encountered or even knew to exist. Not a ghost, not a witch, but something much more and highly powerful. Although he had won the battle with this being, he was forced to withdraw from Grayson Hill that night with refueled ambition to understand the Guardians more.

And now, on the very brink of his long awaited success, the Dark Lord found himself surprised again. It was hard to believe what he was seeing as he watched Anna's body disappear within a mass of blackness and smoke. He lifted his wand away and watched as the magical creature she had become turned to move into the forest. The Dark Lord turned to wave his wand at one of the girls lying unconscious on the ground.

"_Rennervate! __Imperio!"_

Sarah Bell blinked and then quickly sat upright.

"Come here, child," Voldemort told her and Sarah, her eyes completely gray under the curse of obedience, followed his voice without a word. The wizard returned to the retreating Lethifold.

"Anna Grayson! Would you leave your fellow Guardians to suffer at my hands in your absence?"

The creature halted. Anna's mind was struggling to remain conscious, but it was becoming extremely difficult. While her body had withdrawn to escape the Dark Lord's tortures, what was left of Anna's awareness was in full retreat. She had never experienced the kind of power brought to her by the Dark Lord. Like her mother, she could feel her suffering agonies were damaging to her sanity. The Lethifold hesitated for a long moment and then slowly floated to turn around.

"Stand and face me, or know that your friends will die in the most excruciating ways imaginable."

The creature wavered and then slowly collapsed inward to form a sphere and then elongated straight to stand. As her body solidified once more, Anna breathed deep and then sighed. The residual agonies of torture had returned as well, as she summoned all of her strength to remain standing. If she was going to die in the Shadowed Forest tonight, she would do so on her feet. She remembered her mother's sobs in the dungeons of Drogo. Her eyes wide in hallucinating horror as this dreadful man brought his curses down upon her again and again, until her mind was shattered into the pieces he needed to reform her into what she had become: A murderer, a vampire and a Death Eater. Anna would not allow it to happen to her as well.

Voldemort looked gratified he had forced Anna's return, but deep down he was also enthralled, fascinated again by a power he did not fully understand or imagined could exist. He had found the timing of a new Guardian sect in the Wizarding world very disturbing, an unexpected element in his plans for domination. And in response, he would do whatever was necessary to gather this girl's power to himself or see it destroyed.

"Now then… perhaps you'll be in a mood to listen to me," Voldemort whispered serenely.

Anna looked up and into the Dark Lord's piercing eyes and hissed at him through blackened fangs.

"You are most impressive for one so young, but my coming here tonight should impress you as well."

"I'm not impressed with murdering lunatics," Anna's growled under her breath.

"YOU WILL HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Voldemort yelled back.

Voldemort's wand moved quickly and Sarah Bell was instantly lifted off her feet. The girl began to gasp and choke and her hands moved to her neck where she seemed to struggle at some invisible thing wrapped around her neck; she was being strangled. Horrified, Anna ran forward and was hit square in the chest with a spell that sent her flying backward across the clearing. She landed with a thud on her back as Sarah crumbled to the ground.

Again, Voldemort pointed his wand at the pile of bodies to the side. _"Rennervate!__"_

Somebody began to stir and Anna looked up and groaned. Sugianto looked around and then struggled to get to his knees. He looked up to see Voldemort staring down at him.

"Tom Riddle? Is that you, my old friend?"

Anna could immediately tell Voldemort didn't like the sound of his given name.

"You will address his Lord properly, swine!" yelled the Death Eaters called Mugabe and this time Voldemort did not admonish him for speaking out.

Sugianto only snickered as he pushed up to stand. "Oh I think in my case there can be an exception. Isn't that right, Tom?"

Anna saw Voldemort gripping his wand tight, but he only smiled. "It has been a long time, Arief. Forgive my subjects. They are unaware of our past together."

"And why is that, Tom? Surely… after everything we've done in the past, all the time we spent traveling together in the old days, I would have thought anybody who knows you would certainly know about me as well… and let… it would seem they do not; how very disappointing."

_The fool!_ Anna thought, with started alarm. _He can't see the snake would rather strike him dead than share anything of himself with the others._ She looked down at Sarah Bell lying on the ground unconscious once again. Anna was relieved to see her friend was still breathing.

"It took me so long to get your attention after my escape, Tom. I can't blame you for that, of course, because you're an important man now. Still that does not explain why I was left to rot in that prison for so long."

Voldemort's eyes flashed. Even Anna could see his anger growing as Sugianto continued with his poorly-veiled criticisms.

"As recently as January I read in the paper about the escape of no less than ten of your so called Death Eaters from Azkaban prison. Seeing you standing here now, Tom, only confirms my original suspicions that you were the only man capable of such a thing. If it could be done at Azkaban, then Drogo would have been no more a challenge. Yet… you did not think of me. Why is that, Tom?"

Voldemort turned to point his wand at Anna again and she stepped back in frightened response.

"I revived you, Arief, because I believe you might have some useful knowledge about this girl." He turned to look back at his childhood friend again. "I would regret having to kill her unnecessarily if instead I might put her to good use." He smiled. "Or at least… without understanding her skills more."

Sugianto looked at Anna and then grinned. "Oh she is _very_ special, that one; very special indeed."

Voldemort forced an interested look and said, "Tell me, old friend. Tell me what you know of her and her abilities."

240


	37. Chapter 35 - The Dead Zone

Chapter 35D06

Chapter 35 (Draft 06)

The Dead Zone

ONE

Sugianto walked over to Anna and stopped to face her. He smiled and then slowly began to circle her as he shared what he knew of the first Guardian.

"My first contact with Anna Grayson came to me over the years I spent with her mother, another incurable lost cause like myself, locked away in the dungeons of Drogo. The Captain of the Crimson Guard only moved her to the upper floors above the dungeons when her husband or Thordarson came to visit her, but unbeknownst to the both of them… she was always returned in chains to her cell and to the pit we shared after they left." When Sugianto finished his first circle and stared into Anna's eyes. "She always blamed her husband for the Captain's ill-treatment of her," he said with a smile, before continuing to circle again.

"Victoria Grayson would speak to me for hours. In fact, she spoke to no one else but me through the enchanted doors that held us apart and prisoners for so many years." He looked to Voldemort. "We found that we shared many things in common."

"My mother had nothing in common with you," Anna spat, looking back over her shoulder at him.

Sugianto stopped to smile again and then leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Oh but we did, child. Far more than you know." He stepped back and then continued his casual stroll.

"We talked at length about our dreams… and more importantly… the needs that remained unfulfilled within us. She called me _my kind,_ because the history of our lives had been written upon the same page and with a similar pen to explain the creatures we had become. The Crimson Guard is very careful to only give us enough blood to survive, but not enough to see our strengths returned. And what their fears left behind is what any outsider witnessing this ill-treatment would call… cruelty personified. To the point where every waking moment of our existence, and even those that existed in dreams, was of the blood lust, of hunting in the darkness in a forest like this one, or better yet… in a city full of Muggles," he raised his hands wide before him, "with fountains of flowing blood everywhere."

He stopped to stare into Anna's eyes again. "In a way… your mother and I fed off each other." He shrugged. "Not physically, of course, but we did share our dreams of freedom and of stalking fresh prey. We offered each other what we could of ourselves when there was nothing left of us but our delusions to impart." He turned again.

"She told me about her husband and how he had promised to care for her. Unfortunately, she was taken with the idea that he had abandoned her to the Captain's vision of justice…" he looked back at Voldemort and sneered, "when he locked the both of us in hell.

"Eventually, however, I did come to realize that I was conversing with more than one person in the dungeon cell opposite my own. There was Victoria Grayson, of course, but then there was another who's only remaining ambition was to rejoin her master… to return to her Dark Lord…" he looked at Voldemort and smiled, "to find you, Tom."

Sugianto looked up to the bright moon rising over their heads. "This was our existence in the place we were abandoned by our family and our friends," he said, mournfully, looking again at Voldemort with obvious contempt.

"And then, one night, we had an unexpected visitor in the dungeons." He stopped to stare at Anna again. "She was young, wonderfully courageous, but severely weakened… for she had journeyed through the most hideous planes of hell to get to us, levels that would have made Dante himself shrink in fear. She had risked everything to come to us, seeking the truth about her mother, only to face the last remaining sentinel to our locked doors: The Eternal Flames of Nouméa."

Anna frowned, _the flames of Nouméa?_ She looked at Voldemort and could tell the Dark Lord had been captivated by Sugianto's tale.

"At first I thought her journey's success was given only to luck, a number of half-witted guards leaving absent their most important duties. What else could explain her incredible success at making it down into the Dungeons of Drogo undetected? For my part, I was given little time to contemplate the possibilities, because the flames had already given the girl the first of what would be two questions meant to test her sanity and then her resolve to approach our enchanted doors alone. Unfortunately, the exhaustion brought on by her journey, to do something nobody else in wizard history had dared to attempt, actually required my helping her with the first question, but her answer to the second question impressed me and… more importantly… it also swayed Nouméa. In fact, the Eternal Flames were so rapt by her that, to my astonishment, they allowed her passage without the usual announcements." He looked at Anna and frowned. "Even the guards entering the halls properly will hear the bells sound."

Voldemort stepped forward, "As fascinating as might be, old friend, I am most interested in how she was finally able to enter her mother's cell."

Sugianto smiled back at him. "Oh, but my Lord sells my story short of its full reward to think so. For you see… once she entered the dungeon hall, she displayed something even more sublime than all of the skill she had used since her journey to Drogo began that night." He turned to look at Anna once more. "As it turned out… she wasn't alone in the dungeon hall after all."

Voldemort frowned. "There was another? And who was it that had joined her on this quest?"

Sugianto looked back. "That's the thing. I never heard whoever it was that spoke to her, but she was conversing with them nonetheless."

Anna's eyes widened. "The vampire was relating her conversation with the magic within the walls of Drogo and to the voices that had helped her all along the way."

"As near as I could tell, she had something of a mentor by her side, something or someone unseen and unheard other than within her own mind… but there nevertheless. It was helping her to use whatever magic was necessary to pass through her mother's enchanted door, and then afterward to fool her mother into thinking she was _our kind_, and then escape Victoria's all-consuming need to feed when she realized her daughter was not.

"Since my escape, I have made a study of the girl skills. I've used the Imperius Curse on her friend to finally discover the one vital piece of evidence that explains who and what she is more than anything else given us by history." He looked at Voldemort and could tell this was the moment his old friend had been waiting for, why he had traveled all that way to meet with him after promising the girl in return for his freedom from the plateau.

Sugianto turned to look at Anna once again and said, "I believe this Guardian, the first in several centuries, the one some of the others called Sithmaith, actually has the power to converse with magic itself."

Voldemort fell back, looking immensely pleased by Sugianto's conclusions; it seemed to fit so well with what he thought he saw within Anna Grayson's mind while probing her thoughts and memories.

Sugianto watched Tom Riddle's reaction careful and quickly recognized his friend's satisfaction. "And now, Tom, I think I have fulfilled my pledge to you. I have delivered the girl and more… I have delivered her most important secret to you." Sugianto turned to face Voldemort squarely. "You left me in that prison to die even after all we had shared in life together. We were equals in all things then and now, and partners in your plans for Muggle enslavement and mine for feeding. I wish to wash in the blood of Muggles freely again, Tom Riddle. Equal in all things… this is what we agreed."

Voldemort sneered again. "Equal in all things, Arief?" He raised he wand at him. "You have served your purpose well, my old friend, but I believe our friendship has finally come to an end. You were a good and faithful servant even if you did not understand that was your role all along."

Sugianto hissed back at Voldemort and then in less than a blink of an eye, he was almost upon the Dark wizard with claws and deadly fangs. In a flash, Voldemort disappeared in a burst of blackened ash only to reappear a second later holding Sugianto off his feet by the throat. He was laughing.

"Surely, you did not expect I would forget all your old tricks, my most deadly friend?" He tossed the vampire easily to the side as if swatting away an annoying fly. Sugianto was on his feet again and moving fast. Within a second, he was into to the neck of one of the Death Eaters.

"Ahhhhh!"

Voldemort never stopped smiling as he finally raised his wand, _"Avada Kedavra!"_

A blast of horrible light split the air and hit both the Death Eater and Sugianto at once. The two fell together with Sugianto's jaws still locked into the veins of the other. Both were dead.

Voldemort casually walked over and used his foot to shove his friend over onto his back. The vampire's eyes were set wide in shock at his own and most sudden death.

"We were never equal, Arief; no more now than ever when we were together." He turned to face Anna again, still looking somewhat amused.

Anna tried to remain calm. "You have killed so many of your own followers tonight and sent three more to die at Castlewood. It's a wonder why they still obey you."

Voldemort's expression fell. "It's no wonder, child. They obey me because they fear a painful death by my hand. It will be no different with you."

"So why haven't you killed me yet? I will never obey you; you must know that already. What do you want from me?"

"Ah… we finally come to it; very good, and as it is… extremely timely. For you see, I have an important event I must attend to in London tonight." He paused and then, "I will make you one offer to join me, to pledge whatever abilities you have to me, and to stand side by side with your mother in the battle to come."

Anna did not hesitate. "I will never join you. You're a monster!"

"Ah… bravery, but don't answer so quickly, Guardian, because more than your life is at stake in your reply tonight." We waved his wand to the right and Anna watched in horror as Gwen and TJ's wilted bodies were lifted into the air. "Shall I revive them first, so their deaths will be more horrific? Think about it. Why should they die? And why should you die after them, when you can join me and live?"

Anna couldn't respond. Fear had muted her ability to speak.

"So be it." He waved his wand again.

"_Rennervate! __Crucio!__"_

Instantly, the air was filled with the screams of Anna's friends. Gwen and TJ couldn't know what was happening to them – to be awakened out of being stupefied only to be thrown into the horrors of torture. Voldemort was bearing his teeth as he twisted his wand down at them.

"Stop it!" Anna screamed and Voldemort immediately lowered his wand and watched as the two girls fell to the ground, crying.

"I will have your final answer, Guardian."

Anna was sobbing with her friends. What should she do? She couldn't join with Voldemort, to become a slave to his ambitions, and then forced to destroy her father and Thordarson and Dumbledore. It was impossible, but she couldn't stand by and watch her friends suffer and die in preparation of her own death. Anna fell to her knees and sank her hands into the leaf-littered dirt surrounding her. She wanted to hear the voices of magic once again and to ask them what she should do. If they commanded her to give up her life and the lives of the other Guardians, would she do it? She clawed the soil, listening intently, but the voices did not come to her and she immediately thought she understood why. The final choice was hers to decide and hers alone to bear. She looked up and saw TJ and Gwen trying to get up, trying to understand what was happening to them.

"Your hesitancy has delivered your decision for you, Guardian," Voldemort said, stoically, "but you take to your grave the satisfaction knowing that you have thwarted my wishes to have you join me. Such a shame… I could have put your abilities to very good use."

Gwen and TJ looked up in time to see Voldemort raising his wand at them.

"_Avada…"_

"NO!" Suddenly Sarah Bell was crashing into Voldemort's legs and sent him tumbling over to the ground. The Dark Lord screamed in rage, as she snatched Sarah up by the back of her robes and threw her across the clearing. A second later, John Dell was there as well, blasting one of the Death Eaters off his feet.

"Anna! Run!" John yelled, as he quickly took aim at Voldemort turning to face him. He fired and the Dark Lord easily blocked his curse.

Voldemort took aim at John. _"Avada Kedav…"_

"NO!" Anna screamed, raising her hands unthinkingly. At once she sent a blast of energy across the gap that smashed into Voldemort's chest and exploded in a purple flash that sent the wizard flying into the trees behind him.

"Kill them all!" Anna heard him scream and the remaining Death Eaters instantly moved forward. Anna fired another blast at one of the Death Eaters who dove to the side to get away. Another masked wizard pointed his wand down at Gwen who was still unconscious on the ground.

"Gwen!"

There was a loud screech in the darkness somewhere overhead and the Death Eater looked up and screamed. A huge dragon hit the ground with an earth shattering BOOM and crushed the man flat under one enormous, clawed foot. The beast raised its head skyward and let lose an ear-splitting shriek.

The rest of the Death Eaters began firing killing curses into the air as some flew off to battle in the night sky within plums of black smoke. Curses were being fired everywhere and dragons the size of a herd of elephants began falling out of the sky.

Anna ran forward to point a finger at her friends. _"Rennervate!" _

She helped the two girls stand and began pushing them toward the trees. "Gwen — TJ — RUN!" Remarkably, Gwen sill had her wand and began firing hex after hex at the masked wizards.

"No Gwen, just run!"

A flash of red light smashed into Gwen's back and she collapsed as TJ dove into the trees to take cover. The Death Eater who had hexed Gwen was upon her again, looking to finish her off. He pointed his wand down just as another dragon snatched the man off his feet in its powerful jaws. Another killing curse was sent after the dragon over the trees behind her and there was a screech of pain and a crash somewhere deep in the woods.

Anna looked up and found Voldemort sending angry curses one after another into the air and dragons began falling all around him, their bodies smashing and spilling out everywhere. She looked over to find John Dell unconscious on his back, _or was he head?_ After everything Anna had already been through, the sight of all the carnage made her sick.

_This has to stop!_ She thought as more dragons began to fall. A smaller bull and then an enormous female crashed behind her in the forest. Another and then another; they were screeching and crashing all over around her.

"Stop this!" She screamed, and Voldemort turned and then pointed his wand at her. A flash of green was headed right for her and there was nothing she could do. Anna barely turned away when another, much smaller dragon suddenly appeared to block the curse from killing her. It hit the dragon in the chest and Anna screamed at his sacrifice to save her. The blow sent the dragon crashing into the woods, but to Anna's astonishment, it immediately picked itself up again and ran back into the clearing to stand by her side. It raised its wings wide and bellowed angrily at the Dark Lord.

Anna couldn't believe her eyes. _How could he have survived the killing curse?_ And then she saw the answer embedded in the dragon's chest. There were small pieces of gold and silver there and right in the center was a very large ruby. The gem was still smoldering and crackling within a green cloud where it had deflected the killing hex. Anna's eyes widened. She looked up at the dragon's again and recognized him immediately.

"Taurus!"

The young bull's head twisted to the side to look at her and he barked back happily just as another curse crackled through the air toward the two of them. Taurus leapt up and threw out his chest and Anna screamed, "NO!" The curse hit the ruby again and instantly bounced away and smashed into Anna's middle.

She heard Gwen scream, "Anna!" as the curse lifted her off her feet and sent her flying into the forest.

"Anna!"

Pain nothing like Anna had ever felt before flooded her body. It felt as if a fire had been lit within her and was about to explode out. She rolled over onto her side as the burning centered itself in her stomach.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Anna screamed at the green flames working to consume her brightened and then died. Amazed she was still alive, Anna sat up to find the front of her robes still smoldering. There was another dying scream, another dragon falling somewhere in the trees behind her.

_Oh God! Maybe it was Taurus!_

The Guardian tried to stand, but the pain in her center was terrible. She dropped to her knees and looked up. There was screeching and angry bellows as the dragons chased the Death Eater's ashen end trails through the moonlit sky. Killing curses where flying everywhere.

"This has to stop…" she moaned, clutching her stomach.

Another dragon, already dead and glowing within the aftermath of a killing curse, fell to her right. The earth seemed to lift in the air under Anna as the creature's heavy body flattened several massive trees under her.

"This must stop!" She raised a hand and fired another hex of purple light at one of the Death Eaters overhead. She missed badly. She heard Taurus screeching once more in the clearing barely visible now through the trees. She saw a glimpse of TJ running through the woods and ducking as another curse smashed into a boulder next to her. Suddenly, a red stunning spell smashed into her back and she fell.

Anna's anger boiled over. All the torture she had endured, all the pain coursing through her body in that moment forced her onto her feet. She had to stop this. She raised her arms skyward and summoned all the magic she could into her. Her mind reached for it and she could feel it all around her; the air was buzzing with the power of it everywhere and her mind stretched out to collect it from the trees, the rocks, the wands, the lair, the very air above them. She drew it all in and could hear several voices coming into her mind at once.

"_You must escape, Sentinel. Run!"_

"But my friends—they're in danger. He's going to kill them all!"

"_You should not be here! You must not take sides in the battle to come. You are Sithmaith, the one sent to stop the chaos! You must escape!"_

"I won't let my friends die!" Another dragon crashed into the forest on her left. The Guardian seethed in anger. "I must stop his!"

"_Yes, Sithmaith, stop it before all is destroyed in the aftermath. Call unto us and we will come to you. Stop the chaos!"_

Anna opened her arms wide closed her eyes. "Come to me…"

"_She has been altered from what was intended. Háztartási alkalmazott mágikus, szép lány"_

Anna could see a pair of eyes looking down at her within her mind, a wizard's eyes that seemed to zoom into her stare and then there was a faint whisper, _"Sithmaith. The rage within the world is building, how will you protect us? Call unto us."_

"Come to me," Anna beckoned. "I… need you. Let me protect you from the ravages of chaos!" The words seemed to flow out of her, as if spoken only by a few before that night. "We will stop the madness…"

"_The Sentinel is calling. We will come!"_ repeated a thousand voices in union all around her. Sensing her urgently, the magic from every spot for miles around streaked forth to fill her body.

"We are part of the community I seek to serve," the Guaridan continued, "come to me."

Anna feel to her knees as everything that was magical was drawn into her, all the spells, all the curses and hexes flying about started to disintegrate and their elements turned course toward her, drawn to her call. Every magical creature surrounding her could suddenly felt a part of them leaving their bodies, and as the magic within began to drain away they turned to escape in the opposite direction. Feeling their strength leaving them, the dragons in the night sky stopped their attack and turned toward the lair.

Anna could feel the power flowing into her body, and as it did an enormous heaviness began burning her from the inside like the killing curse that should have destroyed her. More and more, the magic was sucked into her body as Anna fell to the ground and opened her mouth to scream.

_Enough!_ Anna thought. _Please… I can't...!_

Even more magic was speeding inward, from everywhere and for miles all around in every direction, it flowed into her, burning her bones and her soul. Her eyes suddenly flew open; they turned black and then white.

"Oh God… enough… pleeeeeaaasseee!"

"_Fear not, Sithmaith. We serve you now like no other since the falcon flew among your kind, and you will turn what has been done against the madness. The beasts, creatures, places, and the things of magic are now within you and you with us. This part of us within you must surrender to chaos to save the greater whole."_

"Please… no more… it's too much…"

Anna's entire body, her face, the clothing she was wearing began to glow white hot as the magic within burned what was left of her away entirely. She was nothing now but a shell now, a vessel holding everything they called magic surrounding them.

"_We surrender to the madness… so that the whole remains intact. The sacrifice returns what we are to the dust of creation. Now… Sithmaith… now!"_

Anna screamed out, "ENOUGH!"

A ring of energy blasted away from her, expelled in every direction in a wave of purple light. It traveled through the clearing and for miles all around, through the Cliffs of Knowtor and beyond before finally dissipating in a howl of blinding wind. And with the wave there was a scream of pain traveling with it. The remnants of the magic flowing into her was gone forever, lost to the chaos and madness bought by two sides locked in battle, a magical sacrifice never to recovered.

Anna fell over and lay there shaking and shuddering within cold heartache of defeat and loss. She searched her mind for the voices, but they were no longer there. All was quiet both within her mind and throughout the forest surrounding her. The fighting had stopped, the dragons were gone, and chaos had finally ended. She heard something stirring in the trees to her right and opened her eyes to see TJ rising to stand. The girl looked over at Anna and smiled.

"Anna… oh my God, yer' alive!" She ran over and fell to Anna's side on the ground and turned her onto her back. "But I thought…" she hesitated, "you was hit by a killin' curse." She stared down her disbelievingly. "I mean… I thought I saw ya hit, didn't I?"

Anna was crying. The pain of loss immediately filled the void left by the magic expelled. She covered her face and whined, "Gone! It's all gone! They did it for us!"

TJ frowned. "Who did? Anna… girl what'in blazing is you talkin' about?"

Anna tried to sit up, but needed TJ's help. The emptiness she could feel all around her was like a vacuum trying to pull her head apart. "It's all gone. My God — NO! What have I done?"

"What's gone?" TJ replied, helping Anna to get to her feet.

Anna looked at her. "Can't you sense it? Can't you tell?"

"Honey… I donno… you'r talkin' crazy, girl. Ya musta' hit yer head."

Anna winced at a sharp stab of pain in her stomach and looked at her friend. "Did Voldemort and the Death Eaters leave? Have you seen Gwen and Sarah?"

TJ raised her wand and looked toward the clearing. "Naw… I don't think anybody's left."

"Come on," Anna said, taking TJ by the hand and pulling her forward.

They moved cautiously together until they entered the clearing once more. Dragons were lying dead all around them. One Death Eater lay unconscious on the ground and a second was struggling to eradicate his body from a tangle of vines high in a tree. He saw them below and raised his wand.

"_Stupefy!"_ He yelled and Anna flinched and TJ raised her wand in response, but nothing happened. The wizard frowned and then looked at his wand, mystified.

"A valiant battle, Guardian, but nothing has changed," came a shrilling voice behind them and Anna and TJ whipped about to find Voldemort stepping out of the forest with his wand outstretched. His eyes were blazing. "You have made your decision, senseless as it is, and I remain to insure you pay for your absence of vision." He stretched out his hand and Anna wrapped her arms around; she had nothing with which to fight. Even ducking seemed impossible.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Anna closed her eyes and waited for the rushing hex to steal her breath out of her body. She held her breath as if to keep it from being taken from her, a final defiant act against the Dark Lord's malevolence.

_I curse you,_ Anna thought,_ with my final breath… I still curse you!_

She waited for it, and waited, but nothing happened. Anna slowly opened her eyes again and found the Dark Lord frowning down at his own wand.

TJ was quick to respond. She pointed her wand back at him and, _"Stupefy!" _Again… nothing happened.

"_Stupefy—Stupefy!"_

Still, there was no response from the girl's wand. TJ looked at Anna and shook her head. "Anna… my wand! It ain't workin'!"

Anna looked at Voldemort once more and could see surprise had fallen upon him once again. He looked around and if trying find something to explain why, for the first time in more than fifty years, magic had not obeyed his will.

Anna searched her mind again for the voices. The strange silence within her was deafening; they no longer answered her call. There was an odd deadness that seemed to hang within the very air they breathed and that's when she realized with great shock.

"It's gone," she whispered.

"What…?" TJ said, jerking back.

Anna looked at her. "Magic," she said in wonder, "it's not here… not for miles all around us, near as I can tell."

TJ looked around in surprise. "My God… whatta' we do?"

Anna looked up at the Dark Lord with angry disgust. "We relish it!"

She stepped toward Voldemort and watched his eyes widen in disbelief.

"Murderer!" she hissed. "Now you will pay for all your treachery!" She suddenly ran at him, bearing her fangs.

Still unwilling to believe what was obvious, Voldemort only grinned as he brought his wand around, but when the spell brought forth within his mind didn't work, his face contorted as he shouted it out.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Anna was almost upon him when he turned quickly to backhand her across the face. "DO NOT DARE TO HOPE THIS BATTLE IS OVER, GIRL!"

The blow staggered her, but was completely lacking anything magical that would have kept her at bay. A second later the Guardian flew into Voldemort's body, sending him flying backward into a tree. His body was slammed hard and dropped to the ground in shock. Staggered, the man quickly rose quickly again but remained defiant.

"You and yours will be sacrificed for the sake of a new world, a world where my will is supreme!"

Anna hissed back at him again. "Only if you survive the night!" she growled. She crouched low, looking to pounce on him. "Without your wand, wizard, you are nothing but an old man."

She could see the anger blooming in his red, snake-like eyes. Suddenly, Anna was struck in the back as one of the surviving Death Eaters dove into her body. The two of them rolled over and over before the first Guardian grabbed him by the face with a clawed hand, turned, and then heaved the man's body at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord casually moved to the side and watched his minion disappear into the forest behind him. There was a sickening thud somewhere in the darkness and then silence. There was another thud behind Anna and she whipped around to see a second Death Eater standing stiff, as if petrified with a knife in his hand, his eyes were wide with shock. He slowly began to fall forward and Anna stepped aside as he slammed into the dirt on his front.

Gwen was standing behind him with a branch in her hands like a Beater's bat. She looked up at Anna and scowled. "He was going to stab you in the back!"

Anna didn't answer. She quickly turned again looking for Voldemort, but he had disappeared.

"Where are you?" she shouted.

At first there was only silence and then she heard his whispered voice somewhere in the darkness beyond.

"You have sided against me in battle… Guardian. You and yours will never be forgiven this lack of vision."

Anna closed her eyes and listened hard, honing in on his words coming out of the forest. She found her own magical abilities could still sense his presence… he was still very close.

"I can still hear your heart beating, old man," she growled, hatefully, "and I mean to put a stop to it!"

And then from behind her, his whispers returned, "You are most impressive, Guardian; more so than I ever could have imagined, and I must admit you have somehow put me at a disadvantage." She heard him heave a sigh. "I would have never that thought it possible."

"Show yourself, Tom Riddle," Anna fired back. "Show me the man you really are without all of your dark magic to protect you."

"Yes… you are most impressive." He paused and then, "But you see… Lord Voldemort doesn't need magic to warrant his desires."

Suddenly, Anna could see his red eyes blooming once more in the darkness in front of her.

"I must leave you now, Anna Grayson, and return to my own country. The prophecies regarding my future are soon to be delivered and I wish to be there in person when finally they are surrendered."

Anna stepped toward the red eyes within the darkness and then stopped abruptly when she saw another set of fangs below them.

"Oh my God," Anna whispered.

From out of the darkness, a beautiful woman with red hair and skin as white as bone stepped out, and the sight of her instantly made Anna's voice tremble in fright.

"Mother…"

Victoria Grayson moved into the clearing to glare at her, as the Dark Lord laughed somewhere in the darkness around them.

"I would love to stay to watch this family reunion, but alas I now know that I must travel far enough away from this place to get home. Goodbye, Anna Grayson," Voldemort said finally, and in a fading voice from a distance he added, "Kill her!"

FOUR

The Guardians could hear the woman growling at them. "Mother… you don't have to do this. You don't have to obey that madman," Anna said, pleadingly.

Victoria stared at her and then replied in a high, shrilling voice. _"Your mother is not here, child. Only I … the Dark Lord's devoted servant, remain."_

The woman started to sway side to side, as Anna started to sob. She couldn't stop herself. Her own mother was standing right in front of her, but the other that shared her body still ruled over her soul like the devil. Gwen and TJ were suddenly by Anna's side.

"My God, Anna. Is that… really your mother? Is that Victoria Grayson," Gwen whispered, uncertainly.

Anna looked at her friend and shook her head, her tears burning her eyes. She remembered her father's practiced advice to defend herself if ever she saw her mother again. "Not really… not anymore." She looked back to the vampire swaying and Anna shuttered.

"We should form a circle… we have to protect ourselves."

The other two obeyed, setting their backs together, but never taking their eyes off the creature that smiled as she swayed hypnotically.

Anna glanced over to see John Dell still lying unconscious behind them near the edge of the clearing. "Does anybody know where Sarah is?"

"She took a good bump on the head and is sleepin' if off," TJ answered quickly, "I got'er tucked away nice in' safe in the forest behind John."

"Good," Anna whispered back. She looked at the creature again. "Try not to look into the vampire's eyes," Anna told them.

"What — again? Another vampire?" TJ answered, fearfully. "What'd the heck we do? Smoke outa' nest?"

"_Warn your friends all you want, child, but what my master has commanded shall be fulfilled. Make no mistake… his word is done!"_

Anna raised her palms like claws at the woman who used to be her mother.

Voldemort's servant giggled evilly and Anna shuttered again. She could almost hear her cackles echoing from out of the dungeons of Drogo again.

TJ leaned into her to whisper. "Anna… I wuz always told yer' mother wuz dead. I… had no idea. I'm so sorry, girl. What should we do if'n she… you know…?"

With tears were still rolling down her cheeks, Anna snapped over to look at her friend. "Don't even hesitate, TJ. If she attacks — you protect yourself anyway you can!" She looked at her mother again and sniffed.

Gwen sighed. "Are you sure, Anna?"

Anna nodded. "No matter who she was in life… she's now a Death Eater first, and she won't hesitate to kill you if she gets the chance."

"Sweet Jesus…" TJ moaned.

"But our wands aren't working… what can we do?" Gwen asked her.

The vampire was still swaying provocatively side to side and Anna watched as the woman's gaze darkened.

"Anything you can… to survive," Anna sighed back.

Anna crouched low, her palms out. "Get ready… she's very fast; don't be taken by surprise."

She could feel the muscles in TJ's back stiffen and Gwen began to tremble, but Anna felt something else as well. From the moment she stepped back into the clearing to face Voldemort again she could feel there was something left within her body after magic's expulsion. Not enough to escape, but maybe just enough to protect her friends should the vampire attack.

She also knew something that perhaps the Death Eater did not; something she sensed the moment the vampire began her swaying movements. From her own experience with the creature at Drogo and then within her studies since her return, Anna knew vampires were both physically powerful and magical as well. Certainly, Sugianto's story of using a wand to transfigure the dead body of Reginald Carter to help him escape and again to cast a forbidden curse on Sarah Bell had proven that fact without question. She had also seen with her own eyes how her mother could transfigure into something resembling mist within Drogo. And yet, as the vampire swayed to project her influence upon them, Anna could feel there was something missing. The powerfully hypnotic trance that came with being the creature she had become didn't seem to be working.

"_Come to me… child. Do not be afraid. I would never hurt you… come to your mother," _the vampire purred. _"Let me hold you in my arms again."_

"What's she doing?" Gwen asked her.

"Don't move and don't look into her eyes," Anna replied quickly. She turned to the creature again and took a step forward.

"You allow my mother embrace me?"

The creature continued to sway. _"Of course, my child, you can be together again… just come to me."_

"But you just told me my mother was no longer with you."

The vampire glided forward. _"Feel her loving embrace."_

Anna's anger spiked. _She's lying. _

"_Come and take your mother into your arms, child. She's waiting for you."_

"Let me speak to Victoria first," Anna demanded.

"_Come to me…"_

"My name is Anna Grayson! I am the daughter of Victoria Grayson, the one being held captive within you. I command you to release her!"

"What the hell's she doin'?" TJ whispered to Gwen.

"Mother… I love you. Can you hear me?"

The vampire hissed back at her. "You command nothing here, child!"

"Victoria Grayson… listen to me. I am your daughter, Anna Grayson… and I love you. Can you hear me?"

The eyes of the Death Eater suddenly widened in unexpected horror. She could feel Victoria beginning to stir at the sound of her child's name once again deep within her mind. She suddenly grabbed the sides of her head and screamed, _"NO!"_

Anna stepped closer again and yelled, "I am Anna Grayson, the daughter of Victoria Grayson. Mother… can you hear me?"

The Dark Lord's servant took a step back. _"She is no more, child. Your mother is dead!"_

Anna could see the pain in the woman's face as her lies spilled out in a rush. The servant was struggling as if to keep from being sick.

"I am Anna Grayson. Mother… I love you. Hear me!"

A powerful force within the Death Eater was intensifying and rising with every passing second.

"_NO! Our master has command us — we must obey!"_ The woman shrieked madly, pulling her hair and clawing her face.

"Mother… I am Anna Grayson. I love you, mother… I love you!"

The Death Eater looked down at her and her eyes flashed wickedly. She suddenly rushed forward. _"I will kill you for my master and drink you blood!"_

Whatever magical speed the vampire thought to bring to bear failed her and two bolts of purple lightening suddenly shot from Anna hands to strike the woman square in the chest.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the thing shrieked as it flew back and landed hard in the dirt. She scrambled to her feet again and hissed through her fangs.

"_Stupefy—Stupefy—Stupefy!" _Gwen yelled, jerking her wand forward again and again but nothing happened. "Damn it!"

Anna began coming forward. "My name is Anna. Victoria Grayson… I am calling you! I love you!" Anna said, taking aim at the creature again.

"_NO — NO — NO!"_ The woman shrieked. She fell to the ground once more and rolled back and forth, holding her head and then tearing at her robes. _"Stay away — STAY AWAY!"_

Anna stood over the woman. "I love you, mother. Your daughter still loves you." She bent down over the creature and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Anna… what are you doing?" Gwen yelled out. She reached down to pick up the broken branch she had used as a club. "Don't touch her!"

Anna leaned in close. "I love you, mother. Do you hear me? I love you." She rolled the woman's body over and looked down into her quiet face. She looked beautiful to her daughter, so innocent, so perfect is slumber.

Suddenly, the woman's eyes flew open. They were blood-red, angry and eager to deliver the death demanded of her. She came forward quickly, baring her fangs at Anna neck and was stopped instantly in her daughter's grip around her throat.

"Awk — argh — gak!" the thing choked

Anna's hand was engulfed in a haze of purple light as she came forward to whisper into the struggling creature's ear once again. "My name is Anna Grayson… I am the daughter of Victory Grayson. You will let my mother go or I swear I'll squeeze the life out of you right here and now. Victoria is my mother… and I love her. Victoria… do you hear me?"

"Gak — gasp — awk." The creature began to writhe in the Guardian's strangling grip. In desperation, she brought up a clawed hand to Anna's face, but it was suddenly caught and pinned to the ground. TJ and Gwen were suddenly by Anna's side, holding the woman down.

Anna continued to whisper to her, "I am your daughter, Anna Grayson. I love you."

The woman stopped struggling and Anna finally released her. "I love you, mother."

Victoria began to shake and shudder and then rolled to her side as a series of spasms shivered through her entire body.

Anna lovingly stroked the woman's beautiful hair. She had longed for this moment for almost a year. "I love you."

Victoria rolled over and looked up. Her eyes scanned through the dark canopy above them before refocusing upon her daughter smiling down at her.

"Anna?"

"Yes, mother… it's me."

"Am I dreaming?" she said, raising a hand to touch her daughter's face.

"No mother, it's really me." Anna looked at her friends. "Get her go…"

"Are you sure, Anna?" Gwen asked her.

Anna began to sob, but nodded and Gwen and TJ reluctantly stood up.

Victoria looked around again. "The Dark Lord's servant…" she mumbled fearfully.

"She was here, but I forced her to release you."

Her mother looked worried and Anna watched her closely as her attention seemed to draw itself inward. "She's very angry. Oh my…" She looked at Anna again, "angry and afraid… and still… very dangerous."

"Voldemort ordered her to kill us."

Victoria cringed at the name. "No…"

"It's alright, mother. He's gone now. It's just me and my friends."

Victoria pushed herself upright and then Anna helped her to stand. The woman immediately grabbed the sides of her head in pain.

"Ohhhh… the other is very angry. She blames me for the Dark Lord's tortures."

Anna sniffed and then wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know all about his tortures, mother."

Victoria looked at her daughter and then down at the burns on her robes. Her face fell into a grimace.

"Oh… my dear, sweet child." She reached out and took Anna into her arms and hugged her. "I am sorry, Anna. I tried so hard to keep them away from you."

Anna hugged her mother back and cried in her arms. "It was so terrible… I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

Victoria's eyes widened as she stared into the darkness to remember. "Days and days without end," she answered her. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I should have let him kill me, but he's so powerful. He's just so…"

Anna nodded her understanding in her mother's arms.

Victoria shuddered and then heaved a painful sigh. She pushed Anna back and then grabbed the sides of her head once more. "I have to go."

"No… please… let us help you."

Her mother's smile was serene. "His servant is very strong, Anna. I can feel her malevolence fighting to come forward again. I can only keep her at bay for a few hours, a day at the most."

"But you're stronger than her. You proved that tonight. You're here now!"

Victoria shook her head. "No… you were stronger than her — not me. Her evil master has used the darkest magic to weaken my will against her. His curses put limits on my strength to hold her back. I have to go and get as far away as possible… for your sake."

Anna was crying again. "But… I want to be with you. Perhaps if we stayed here, where magic is so weak, we can be together."

Her mother smiled and reached out to hug her daughter again. "I would go through the Dark Lord's tortures a hundred times again just to hold you in my arms like this every day, but already…" she pushed back again and her body waivered, "I can feel her strength growing." She stepped back. "I must go to protect you."

Victoria looked over to Anna's friends. "Whoever you are… thank you both for protecting her from me."

Gwen stepped forward and smiled, but Victoria held up a hand to stop her.

"Tell me nothing about yourselves. Remember… if you tell me then you tell the other and put yourselves and your families at risk." She looked at her daughter again. "Goodbye, Anna. You must leave this place as quickly as possible after I am gone."

She finally turned and headed into the woods alone, a troubled soul searching for a place to stop trusting herself.

"Mother?"

Victoria Grayson turned to look back.

"I love you," Anna moaned.

Her mother smiled. "Anna… you are and always will be the source of my remaining strength. Tell your father…" she shuddered in pain again, "I love you both so much."

Anna wiped the tears from her eyes again. She blinked… and Victoria Grayson was suddenly gone. Anna sniffed and then turned to find Trog and Glors standing behind her.

"This one is speaking to the trees, she is," Glors said to Trog scathingly. The great horned Ogre looked around at all the dead dragons and scowled. "She is the cause of this senseless destruction, she is."

Trog could see the pain and sorrow Anna had suffered etched into her face. He came forward and Anna fell into his huge arms.

"Oh Trog, Glors is right… I led us right into a trap. This is my fault," she sobbed.

"That's crazy talk," TJ said, sympathetically. "She dun' no such thang."

Gwen suddenly appeared holding Sarah Bell upright by one of her arms as they entered the clearing and Anna breathed a thankful sigh of relief at seeing her roommate still breathing. She came forward quickly to help Sarah to sit.

"I'm all right," Sarah whispered back bravely.

Anna was sobbing again as she looked over Sarah's shoulder and then gasped. She got up and walked over to find a young dragon lying on his side with his wings spread awkwardly across the ground.

"Taurus…" Anna whispered. She sat down next to the dragon and lifted his head onto her lap.

TJ was looking down at them. "Yer kiddin' me? That's dah same dragon that wuz in yer bathtub a few months ago? Geez… they grew their frogs big in these woods!"

Anna smiled as she soothed the dragon's battered nose. "Eric always said he'd try to find me." She noticed something under his wing and lifted it away to find a massive ruby glued to the front of his chest.

"That's what saved me from the killing curse tonight."

Anna reached down and grasped the gem and a green-colored spew stretched as Anna finally pulled the stone away. She looked at it closely and held it up in the moonlight to peer through its perfect surface and was stunned to see millions of red eyes blinking and staring out from within.

"Oh my God," she said in wonder, "It's the Ruby of YU!" She looked down at Taurus again and found him half dazed looking up at her. The dragon let out a pain-filled whimper and then rose up to lick her in the face.

"Anna… are you okay?"

Anna could feel her mind slipping away. The fierce battle and the injuries from being tortured were now requiring more than she could give to remain conscious.

"Anna?"

Gwen's voice began to fade and Anna could no longer feel Taurus nudging her with his snout before blackness took her completely.

FIVE

Several miles away, several people yelling could be heard in the hallways outside a locked door.

"Where is Lieutenant Dunning?"

"Sleeping in his quarters. What's happening?"

"Wake him! NOW!"

Dunning awoke with a start and immediately snatched up his wand from the table next to him.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant Dunning! Wake up, sir!"

"_Lumos! __Alohomora__!"_

The lock on the door quickly clicked and the light from his wand brightened the room as several guards stormed in. The Sergeant leading them whipped his wand over his head to light every candle in the room.

"Lieutenant! An emergency order has come down from the Chancellor's office. Sir… we are in lockdown!"

"What! Why? What's happened?"

"We don't know yet, sir, but the order came from Thordarson himself!"

Suddenly, the sound of heavy granite footsteps could be heard marching in the floors above them. Dunning looked at his men. "Good God… Piertotum Locomotor?"

"Yes, sir. The statues and armor are manning the walls as we speak!"

Dunning stood. "Where is the Chancellor now?"

"Upstairs, sir. I've sent a squad of guards up for his protection already."

"Double that order, and send a runner as well. I want to know what the hell is going on!"

The guards turned to leave.

"Wait!"

The Sergeant looked back.

"What about the prisoner, Anna Grayson?"

The guard frowned and then looked back at the guards. "What about her, sir?"

"Is she still in the dungeon? Is she still in her cell?"

"Yes… of course. There was no order to have her released, and there's been nothing unusual reported from the men guarding her."

Dunning was strapping on his sword. "Check it. I want to know she's still there!"

Ten minutes later, the Crimson Sergeant was unlocking the metal door to the inner dungeons. He stepped inside and found the three guards playing cards around a small table.

"On your feet!" The guards immediately stood and snapped to attention.

The Sergeant looked in to find Anna standing in the center of the cell, still in her purple robes, with her back to them.

"Report!" the Sergeant demanded.

"The night was uneventful, sir. As you can see, the prisoner has been in her cell all night."

"Has she said anything, made any requests or demands?"

"No, sir… in fact…" the guard hesitated.

"Yes… what is it?"

"She's been standing in that same spot all night long. She hasn't moved a muscle or said a word, sir."

The Sergeant frowned. "Hasn't moved?" He looked at Anna standing in her cell again. She hadn't even reacted to their entry into the dungeons. The man walked over to the cell to look closer.

"Anna Grayson!"

The girl didn't move.

"Miss Grayson… are you sleeping?" Still… the Guardian did not respond.

Finally, they heard a soft clicking sound and Anna's head slowly began to turn. It kept turning, and then turned all the way around backwards to look back at them. Her eyes were bright orange.

"What… the… hell!" The Sergeant whispered.

Suddenly, Anna's body started to shimmer and distort. It began to shrink and fall into the floor until the only thing sitting in the center of the cell was a small Scops Owl. The owl ruffled its feathers as if after a long night's rest and then jumped into the air to land on the window sill. Hobbs looked back, clicked his beak at the guards again and then jumped out the window.

"Damn!" the guard sighed.

248


	38. Chapter 36 - Resignation

Chapter 36D09

Chapter 36 (Draft 09)

Resignation

ONE

Anna's vision cleared and she found herself staring down at the body of a very large dragon splayed grotesquely over a number of broken trees. The head of the creature was twisted backward and its mouth lay open as hundreds of flies were already at work in the burnt remains of her tongue. The morning sun began to rise over the Shadowed Forest and with tears in her eyes Anna looked up to see dozens of holes torn open in the canopy above her and several mounds of rotting flesh lying randomly in the woods surrounding her. Yes, a terrible battle had been fought in this place. A battle in which the Guardians did participate... "And now look at the results," Anna moaned.

She turned when she heard a number of soft growls behind her and she could see several skunk-like tails in a circle, feeding on the remains of yet another dragon lying torn open and broken. Its insides were poured out in a wide circle of blood and entrails over the underbrush while the horned, cat-like creatures snarled and fought with one another to take their portion. Anna felt sick; the creatures would feast here for months.

The creatures suddenly stopped their fighting to look up at her; their yellow eyes seemed to glow within the remaining shadows around them. They bared their teeth at her and then dropped their tails as they slowly began to back away. Anna frowned and then noticed the creatures were not looking at her at all, but at something behind her. The Guardian could suddenly hear the distinct sound of hissing at her back. Her eyes widened and she slowly turned to find the Dark Lord standing over her with his wand pointed at her forehead. His lips curled wickedly.

"You have sided against me in battle, Guardian. You will not be forgiven for your lack of vision."

Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand into her forehead and yelled, _"Avada Kedavra!"_

There was a flash of green light and Anna screamed, "NO!" as she sat upright in her bed.

Doctor Pearl was near and immediately swooped in. "Oh my goodness, Anna," she said, trying to calm her fears as Anna sat there gasping hard. "God preserve them. Must they all wake up this way?" Pearl added, concernedly. She sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around Anna's shoulders.

"There-there, now. You're all right, dearie. It was just a bad dream, is all." She began rocking Anna in her arms. "You're among your friends now and your family too; there-there. Try and calm yourself."

Anna was looking over the doctor's shoulder and her eyes immediately focused on a painting on the wall behind her. It was the familiar portrait of galloping horses. Anna closed her eyes again and hugged the woman back as she began to sob.

"There-there, Anna, you're all right," the woman continued, tenderly.

"Hospital floor again?" Anna asked her through her shudders.

Pearl gripped her tighter. "I'm afraid so, my dear." The healer finally pushed her back to look at her face. "We simply must find a way to keep you off of my floor, but I'm afraid all of my efforts to do so have failed us."

Anna tried to smile. She truly loved Margaret Pearl. Suddenly, Anna's mind was racing.

"Oh my God — the others — Gwen and Sarah, TJ and John Dell? Where are they? Are they…?"

Pearl smiled and held up a hand to halt her. "They're fine… not to worry. You see?" She directed Anna's attention to her left and when she turned, they were all there in the beds next to her. Sarah was on her back sleeping while her parents sat beside her on the bed. Gwen and TJ were on her other side sitting upright against a stack of pillows, looking bruised and tired but alive. Except for lingering pain in her stomach, Anna was relieved.

"How you feeling, Anna?" Anna looked up and found Tencha and Dowla standing there.

"Okay, I guess." She looked to the side and at Gwen smiling back at her.

"Gwen?"

"Yeah… I'm good. You sure you're alright?"

Anna smirked back at her friend. "I guess it'll be a long time before any of us are really alright again."

Anna looked at TJ, "Tanya Joe?"

TJ shrugged. "Feel like I been chewed up, spit out, and stepped on," she whispered under her breath, looking scathingly up at the three Crimson Guards standing by her feet. They were all leering and shaking their head condescendingly. TJ winced as she tried to adjust her position, "but I'm still breathin'."

Anna nodded and then looked to the other side of the room to find John Dell snoring softly in another bed. His enormous feet were protruding over the end of the bed on a table.

"Doctor Pearl, I specifically told you not to allow these three to speak to each other."

Anna saw Lieutenant Dunning entering the hospital floor.

Dunning stopped to stand between Anna and Sarah's bed. "I won't have these prisoners conspiring with one another before I've finished my investigation."

"And I told you, Lieutenant, that I will not allow my hospital floor to be turned into an interrogation chamber," Pearl fired back.

"Prisoners!" Anna retorted, looking angrily at Pearl. "What the heck is he talking about?"

"Dunning doesn't believe our story about _You-Know-Who _being in the Shadowed Forest last night," Gwen replied quickly. "It might not look like it, but he's put us all under arrest."

Dunning pointed an angry finger at Gwen. "Not another word out of you or I'll have you moved to the dungeons right now." He quickly looked at Pearl whose face had already turned a fierce shade of puce. "And don't worry yourself, doctor… for your sake I'll be sure to send the bed along with her!" He then turned on Anna.

"And technically speaking, you have been my prisoner since last night. That little stunt you pulled to break out of the dungeons is an offense punishable by expulsion aside from what you did in the Shadowed Forest!"

"The dungeons?" Tencha came forward quickly. "Anna… you were in the dungeons last night?"

"I don't give a damn what you believe," she fired back. "We were all there. We know what happened!"

"Oh… don't even try to add to the fabrications your friends have already conjured," Dunning continued. "Death Eaters in the Shadowed forest, of all places; oh… and the best lie of all — a battle to the death between the Guardians of Castlewood and _You-Know-Who_ himself!"

"My daddy never raised no liars, sir," TJ shot back.

Anna was furious. "Don't waste your breath, TJ. Even if Voldemort was standing right here with a wand to his head — he'd still call you a liar."

"This is ridiculous," Gwen added. "If we're lying, then how do you explain what happened last night?"

"Simple enough," Dunning replied crossly. "It would seem your little band decided to take the law into their own hands last night by trying to capture a number of wizards looking to steal more dragon eggs out of the forest. And when you found yourselves outmatched and running for your lives… you concocted his fairy tale to cover your actions. It's a wonder none of you were killed out of your own stupidity. The initial reports coming back from the scene are telling us that a number of dragons are dead in the forest because of your interference. While any wizard has the right to protect themselves from an attacking dragon, those creatures are still protected while in the Shadowed Forest. You are arrested for taking unnecessary actions on your own that led directly to the destruction of a protected species."

"We went in there to protect the Lair from the poachers because the Crimson Guard wouldn't listen to us or act to do anything about it. And we didn't kill those dragons. In fact, the dragons were trying to save us from Voldemort!" Anna yelled back.

Dunning pointed down at her. "You will not recite your half-baked, scripted story to your conspirators. Nobody is going to believe _He-Who-Will-No-Be-Named_ is back. I'm only surprised you had the audacity to think we would believe these lies!"

"She's not lying," said a woman's voice behind them and everyone turned to look around. They were shocked to see the Minister of Magic walking through the open doorway.

"Minister Barkelnap," Dunning said in surprise. "Ma'am, I was not informed you were in the castle today." Thordarson stepped into the room behind the Minister along with Professor Qwaad and Captain Hayman. The Minister was wearing traveling clothes and the Chancellor a stunning set of blue robes with gold trim and his customary black spectacles.

"Chancellor… I should have been informed about the Minister's arrival," Dunning sputtered. "Had I known, I would have arranged a proper escort inside the grounds."

"Shut it, Dunning," the Minister fired back harshly. She quickly came forward to stop on the side of Anna's bed. She looked down at her with an expression reminiscent of reevaluation. "Anna is telling the truth," she concluded. "_He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_… has returned." There was a gasp of sudden disbelief from everyone in the room.

"There were several eyewitnesses to this fact in London last night when he and a number of captured Death Eaters tried to break into the Ministry of Magic." Dunning suddenly looked incredulous as the Minister added, "Including the Minister of England, several Aurors and… Albus Dumbledore."

Dunning looked as if he had lost the ability to speak. Finally he leaned in, "Minister… surely not. It must be a mistake."

"I just spoke with Cornelius Fudge through the Flu Network in the Chancellor's office." She stiffened and took a deep breath. "It's true… he's back. There will be an official announcement out of London within the hour."

Dunning tried to whisper, "Minister… there's no possible way that…"

"DON'T… try to explain away the facts already confirmed with your ridiculous stubbornness Gregory. We were wrong!" The Minister looked down at Anna again and swallowed hard. "God forgive me… I was wrong," she whispered.

"But… even if it's true, that doesn't mean _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ was able to breach the spells protecting the plateau here last night. The account these girls have given of their actions and the events within the Shadowed Forest are epic in the level of their audacity."

"Epic as they may be, the Guardians are telling the truth about that as well." Thordarson added worriedly. "Soon after the battle commenced near the Dragon's Lair, three Death Eaters broke into my office and tried to kill me."

The Chancellor looked back at the men standing behind him and added, "Fortunately for me, Captain Hayman and Professor Qwaad were in conference with me after my return from the Ministry and helped to subdue the men."

"Helped you?" Qwaad snorted back. "The men were down by your wand before the two of us were out of our chairs."

"Death Eaters in the castle?" Dunning sputtered, disbelievingly. "Why wasn't I informed?"

"I'm afraid that was my fault," Thordarson replied. "You see, I felt it vital to find out everything I could from the intruders, including why they had come and how they had managed to break the security spells that have protected this plateau for more than two centuries. It didn't take much persuasion on our part to get them to tell us about the Dark Lord's presence in the Shadowed Forest, his interests in Anna Grayson, and his orders to kill me here at the castle.

"It was a diabolic plan that started with a summons I received to participate in an emergency Board of Trustees meeting at the Ministry. That summons was false. In addition, the Captain of the Crimson Guard also received an emergency summons about a family emergency at home. That message was also false. Obviously, this was done to insure Voldemort's arrival on the plateau remained undiscovered. The Captain and I had just returned to Castlewood when the Death Eaters attacked me in my office.

"Afterward, I sent a message asking you to lock down the castle, Captain Hayman and I alerted the staff and contacted Lieutenant Mantos in the city who immediately mustered the Guard. Thankfully, the ogre Trog showed up at the castle with the injured Miss Bell and confirmed a battle had taken place in the forest near the Dragon's Lair and that Voldemort and his remaining Death Eaters had already fled."

Captain Hayman stepped forward. "Trog guided Lieutenant Mantos and his Guards back into the forest and to the site of the battle. They captured eight surviving poachers and two Death Eaters were found dead in their masks. It looks like one was done in by a killing curse."

"Voldemort killed him for disobeying an order," Anna added.

"Do not say that name, Anna," Dowla warned her. Her sister suddenly looked terrified. "If what they say is true, it's important now more than ever," she added, warningly.

Anna looked at Hayman. "Only eight poachers were captured?"

Hayman nodded. "Yes… were there more?"

Anna looked at the other Guardians. "Yeah… at least twenty five; I guess the forest took the rest."

The room was stunned into silence as the captain continued. "At last count, as least twenty dragons were killed," Hayman continued, "probably several more were also injured, but we dare not approach the lair now to confirm these assumptions. That would be suicide."

Hayman stepped in to face Dunning directly. "Gregory… the Guards also found the body of Arief Sugianto at the site of the battle. He was also finished by a killing curse."

Dunning's eyes widened with shock. "Sugianto? But he was killed last year at Drogo!" he said, looking over at the Minister.

"It's interesting that you would remember that fact, Gregory," Thordarson said knowingly. He looked at the minister. "It would seem we have failed in our responsibility on a number of other fronts as well."

Anna frowned. Thordarson was referring to the fact that Dunning was supposed to have had his memory of Drogo erased by the Ministry when he was demoted from the Captaincy. Of course Thordarson already knew that the Minister had sent Professor Qwaad to alter Dunning's memory, but was privately put under orders not to do so. What the Minister didn't know was that Qwaad was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix and was reporting the Minister's motives to the Chancellor directly.

Tencha leaned over to Dowla and whispered, "Who the hell is Sugianto?"

"It would seem we all were fooled about Sugianto's death," Hayman continued. "Upon finding his body in the Shadowed Forest, I sent an urgent message to Drogo. The guards there were ordered to exhume the body found in the dungeons last year from the prison cemetery and check it for any residual spells that might have hidden his true identity. I just received this reply from the prison fifteen minutes ago." The captain handed Dunning a bit of parchment.

Dunning took the note and read through it quickly. "The body has been confirmed to be that of Reginald Carter. The transfiguration spells used to hide his true identity were no longer in place after the body was recovered." Dunning was amazed, but still looked skeptical.

Hayman took the letter back. "The spells on the body probably ended last night after Sugianto was killed and while Carter was still in ground.

"There were also several objects found on Sugianto's body directly linking him to the murders of Michael Wendell, Sidney Heidelbach and Chace Scroggs. It was Sugianto who killed them."

Dunning's jaw dropped, the news of so many important details was overwhelming his ability to reply. He finally looked at the Minister and said, "Sugianto was always one for collecting trophies," he whispered.

The Minister sneered. "Gentlemen… I would like a private word with Anna, if you please. Could I ask you all to step back?" She looked at Pearl and made an effort to sound a little less imposing. "With your permission, of course, doctor."

Pearl was still displaying a look of revulsion at the news of Voldemort's return before looking up at the Minister in surprise. "Why… yes, of course." She stepped forward to hand Anna a vial of silver liquid. "This should help with your recovery."

"I'll make sure she takes it, doctor," the Minister replied, reaching out to take the vial from her.

"Very well, Minister, within the next ten minutes, if you please."

The Minister nodded and then looked over to Sarah Bell's parents sitting on the adjoining bed. They looked uneasy.

"Please… stay with your Sarah," the Minister said kindly. "I wouldn't dream of asking you to leave your daughter's side, especially after she's displayed so much courage and strength for our sake. Your daughter is a hero to us all."

Mr. Bell stiffened and then looked down at his unconscious daughter with blooming pride while Mrs. Bell lifted a handkerchief to daub at her eyes. "Thank you, Minister," she mumbled back.

The Minister nodded and then turned to face Anna again. She raised her wand, gave it a quick flick, and a frosted curtain began to rise from the floor around the two of them and Anna's bed.

"There now… our privacy is assured," the Minister added.

Anna looked toward the bed where Sarah was lying on the other side of the curtain. "Thank you for telling Mr. and Mrs. Bell that Sarah was a hero." She looked back up at the Minister again. "It's true, you know. She was so brave. She saved my life. So did Gwen."

The Minister smiled and then sat down next to her. "They were not the only ones who showed untold heights of courage last night." The woman studied Anna and then asked, "How are you feeling?"

Anna looked skeptical that the Minister would really care, but she laid back and took a quick inventory anyway. "I'm all right, I guess. My stomach really hurts, but other than that…" she shrugged and gave a wince. Once again… alarms bells began smashing into Anna's ribs. The Guardian could smell the scent of Vipertooth eggs on the woman. She prepared herself again for another round of _Legilimency_.

"Anna… it would seem… that I owe you an apology," the woman began. "You tried to tell me last summer he was back, but I wouldn't listen."

Anna was surprised and she could hear the woman's heartbeat remained steady. She was being truthful. "Minister… I…" Anna was trying to find a way to respond, but the Minister raised a hand to stop her.

"Please… let me get it out first. It's not in my bones to admit a mistake." She lowered her head in obvious sorrow. "Especially… a mistake that has costs the lives of so many others because of my mulishness." She peered up at Anna again. "Cornelius Fudge was so insistent that it was all just a ruse by Dumbledore." She shook her head and looked to the side. "_The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,__and the end of his talk is evil madness_," she mumbled.

The woman noticed Anna frowning at her. "Ecclesiastes chapter ten; the quote is supposed to remind us how foolish words can be." She heaved. "All the more reason I should have known," the woman added, before dipping her head again. "I've been such a fool."

"Minister… I don't think any of us wanted to believe it could be true, least of all me or my father, but now you have a chance to warn everybody. They need to know the truth so they can protect themselves from him."

"No… I can't, Anna," the Minister replied stoically. "It's no longer my place."

Anna frowned. "Not your place? But you're the Minister of Magic! Of course it should be you."

"No… you don't understand: I'm no longer the Minister of Magic."

Anna was stunned. "What?"

"I have resigned my post…" she hesitated again, "for my failures in office."

Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The Minister grinned. "Don't look so surprised. Despite what you might think of me personally, I do carry a strict code of honor handed down through the generations by our family. The wizarding world needs new leadership right now, the kind of governance unhampered by questions regarding my mistakes. I told Cornelius that he should do the same."

Anna shook her head in disbelief. "And… will England's Minister resign as well?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Fudge is much more stubborn and I. No… I'm afraid he'll wait right up to the moment they move to throw him out."

There was a pause as Anna tried to internalize what had passed between them. The Minister smiled down at her.

"I meant what I said to Sarah's parents. What all of you did in the Shadowed Forest last night was truly valiant and it proved to me that I should have been supporting the Guardians all along."

Anna stared at her. "Thank you, Minister. I really appreciate you're saying that."

"Oh it's more than just words, Anna. In fact, in my final act as Minister, I have ordered the Ministry to make a formal appeal to the Guardians of Castlewood to name a permanent protector to the Dragon's Lair. Given what the four of you did last night in facing _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ for the Lair's sake, the Ministry eagerly agreed and is drafting the request as we speak."

"Oh my God," Anna replied excitedly, "that's… so wonderful!"

"They are, however, unsure to whom they should send this request. Although you were the first Guardian, you are still under age and should be absorbed in your studies; you can't be bothered with such appeals."

Anna thought. "You could send the request to my brother, Eric. He's still a Guardian and in communication with those who have already left the school."

The Minister nodded. "I saw him and your brother Damon in the passageway downstairs. I think they were heading to the docks to meet your father when he arrives. I'll tell Eric to expect an owl from the Ministry before the end of the day."

Anna surveyed the woman. To say the Minister had been completely humbled and humiliated by the news of Voldemort's return would not be an exaggeration, but to set aside the most powerful office in the Ministry for the sake of public confidence was astounding to her. Perhaps, Anna thought, she had misjudged Helawena Barkelnap after all.

"Thank you, Minister. Thank you for working with us to protect the Lair."

The woman leaned back and sighed. "Anna… I know we've had our differences and arguments in the past about the purpose and the future of the Guardians, about _You-Know-Who's_ return… and so many other things that I can't even remember now, but I do hope we can leave those differences behind us. You told me… I was no longer a member of your family. I will admit to you now that, at the time, those words truly hurt me. I've known the Graysons for a very long time, probably longer than any other family in the entire wizarding world. But whether you like it or not, you are just as much a member of my family as you are the Graysons and I pray that someday you will come to value that fact."

Anna looked down into her blankets and then up into the woman's eyes again. The Guardian could sense the Minister's heart quicken as she waited for her reply. Anna thought about it again and then finally she said, "Minister… I regret saying those things to you and I have no excuses for doing so but to admit that… at the time… I was just… so angry."

The Minister thought about it and then nodded. "You will find that the Jennings' family is without equal when it comes to the levels of rage we can bring to bear. The truth is my sister and your mother both had what some might call a terrible temper. Given this reality… you were bound to this legacy before the day you were born in as much as any other woman in our family." The Minister sighed, "Including me."

There was another uneasy pause between the two of them as Anna tried to reflect. Anna knew her own temper was easily enflamed when provoked, especially if it was Damon doing the goading, and she had seen the Minister's fury first hand as well. Still, nothing could compare to what she had seen in her mother while in Drogo and then again in the Shadowed Forest. While Anna always thought of her mother and the Dark Lord's servant as two completely different individuals trapped within the same body, it was probably more accurate to say the two personalities were a blend of the two extremes at opposing ends. The wrath and anger displayed by the servant had been horrible to witness, but some of that was probably within her mother as well, and if true, what would that say about her daughter?

"The reports coming back from the Shadowed Forest are telling us that the magic in and around the scene of the battle is now nonexistent in a five mile radius," the Minister told her, unexpectedly changing the subject. "Can you tell me how that happened?"

Anna looked uneasy. "I really don't know how it happened. I remember praying for the battle to end and the killing to stop." She shook her head angrily. "I wanted the magic being used to kill the dragons to stop." She took a deep breath. "And then… I started to feel all the magic within the forest suddenly…" she halted again, trying to think. How could she possibly explain what had happened?

"Yes? Suddenly… what?"

"I can only describe it to say that it felt like it was flowing into me… and when it became too much to hold, it suddenly left me all at once. It was like…" she looked up at the Minister again, "the blast of a furnace, only in reverse. I really don't know any other way to explain it."

"Anna… would you say the magic gathered within you was destroyed or… for the lack of a better way to describe it… just displaced."

It was still difficult for Anna to believe she had been the cause of what had happened. "Not destroyed," she finally surmised, "just… expelled." She peered up at the Minister again. "So… magic still isn't working there?"

The woman shook her head. "Lieutenant Mantos was at a loss to describe it in any meaningful way other to call it a magical dead zone in the middle of the forest. Even the guards trying to fly over the area on their doors quickly find themselves falling out of the sky." She paused meaningfully and then she added, "It would seem this dead zone also includes the Cliffs of Knowtor as well."

Anna was suddenly frightened. "But… what about the dragons? Are they alright?"

"The dragons don't seem to be having any problems at the moment. While they are highly magical creatures, most of their abilities, like flying and breathing fire for their nests, are not magical at all. The spies we've sent in who were brave enough to go to the Lair have told us they seem to be caring for their young and completely unaware of the changes to the environment around them." The Minister smiled. "In fact, I should think their future safety is more certain now than ever. After all… what wizard would be foolish enough to enter the nesting grounds now without magic to protect them?"

The Minister's smile slowly fell. It was as if she had suddenly remembered the most important reason for their conversation.

"Anna… could I ask you something else about last night? I know you're tired, but this is very important to me personally."

Anna could see the woman looked worried, but she tried to be agreeable. "I really don't know that I'll ever understand everything that happened… but I'll help in any way I can, of course," she answered back.

The woman's lips pursed. "Is it true what your friends have privately told the Chancellor… that you saw your mother last night?" She fell back, but her eyes remained focused and eager with anticipation. "Did you see Victoria?"

Anna took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I did. When _You-Know-Who_ realized his wand wasn't working, he commanded my mother to…" she suddenly hesitated, unable to finish her thought.

"He commanded Victoria to kill you," the Minister finished solemnly, and Anna slowly nodded. "And… can you tell me what stopped her from doing so?"

Anna was already struggling to control the tears burning her eyes. "The thing the Dark Lord commanded to kill me was not my mother," Anna finally said. "She was…" she hesitated again.

"The Dark Lord's servant — yes, I understand that, but again… how did you stop her?"

Anna stopped to think. "I believe the absence of magic was the reason we all survived. My mother has this way of… well… she kind of… hypnotizes those she comes into contact." She looked at the Minister again. "But it wasn't working last night."

The Minister nodded. "It is well known that on rare occasions, some vampires do have this ability," the Minister replied, unsurprised.

"But she was also very slow." Anna was choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to give away the fact she had already seen her mother's incredible speed within Drogo prison. "Eric told us in our Care of Magical Creatures Class that vampires can be much faster than humans, but last night there were times when I thought Victoria seemed surprised by her sudden lack of abilities." She stared at the Minister again. "But that's not why she didn't try and kill us."

The Minister swallowed hard and leaned in. "Okay… so what happened?"

Anna took a deep breath. "I tried calling to her." She could immediately see the Minister's brow furrow, so she tried to explain. "I tried to look past the servant and reach out to my mother directly. I kept telling her that I loved her and that Victoria Grayson was my mother. I kept saying it over and over. I kept repeating it again and again until finally I could see it was having an effect on the other one. It was like the Death Eater was having difficulties holding back my mother's will to suddenly come forth, so I kept repeating it over and over again — that loved her; I kept saying my name and that I was Victoria Grayson's daughter and that… I loved her."

Anna finally smiled at the Minister. "And that's when it happened. My mother… she finally came to me right there in the forest."

The Minister's face went slack with surprise. "Impossible," she whispered.

"No-No, it's true. I swear it. Victoria Grayson… she came to me. It was a struggle for her to keep the servant of _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ down once she had been awakened, but it _was_ her… and she spoke to me." Anna's tears were burning her eyes again.

The Minister leaned forward and calmly reached out to hold Anna's shoulders. "Tell me exactly what she said, Anna. It's vital that you tell me everything."

"Well…" Anna sniffed, "she said… the servant was very strong and that she could feel her wanting to control her again. She said she could only keep her away for a few hours… no more than a day at the most." The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"I tried to tell her… that she was stronger than the servant… that she had just proven it. She had stopped the other from killing us and was speaking to me." Anna started to sob. "But she said… that I was the stronger one, and that _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ had put a curse on her that weakened her against the servant."

The woman's mouth dropped. "She said that?" Her grip on Anna's shoulders suddenly tightened. "DID SHE REALLY SAY THAT, ANNA?"

"Yes, ma'am. That's what she said."

The Minister wanted to be sure. "She said the Dark Lord cursed her in a way that made her weaker against his servant?" the woman asked her again.

Anna was suddenly confused, but she quickly nodded.

The Minister finally released Anna and put a hand to her mouth in disbelief. "He's still controlling her," she whispered

Anna frowned. "Yes… but didn't we already know that?"

The woman quickly stood. She began nervously wringing her hands as she thought. "He's controlling her with spells and enchantments, making the other one stronger." The woman suddenly lifted her head to look up and smiled gratefully. "Dear God… there's still hope."

"Minister?"

The woman looked down and could see Anna's confusion. Her eyes flashed as she sat back down next to her. "This is better than I would have ever hoped possible, Anna. Don't you see?"

Anna still looked muddled. "See what? I don't understand, Minister. What's better?"

The woman quickly blessed herself and then looked at her again. "You said after magic had been expelled from the site of the battle — that Victoria seemed weakened by that fact. She was slower, you said."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And then, with your help, your mother was able to come forward despite all the efforts by his servant to keep her under control."

Anna nodded again, but she was still confused.

"Don't you see, Anna? It's magic that's keeping her from being herself, not the Dark Lord's previous tortures or the other personality within caused by them. _He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ has reinforced his servant with the necessary spells and enchantments that put Victoria at a disadvantage. But in the forest last night, after the magic in the area had been set aside, Victoria was able to take control again. Her will was stronger when she heard her daughter calling to her."

"Yes… I suppose that's true. So…?"

"So all we have to do is remove the magic that enforces her weakness against the servant and Victoria should come back to us. She should have the strength then to push the other aside, or at the very least allow the healers to finally help her."

"But how can we remove the magic enslaving her to the other… I can't remove all the magic she ever comes into contact. How would that be possible?"

"No-No, Anna. You don't understand. We don't have to remove the magic itself… only the man who cast the spells!"

Anna frowned and then thought. She looked up again. "You mean Voldemort?"

"Don't say that name," the woman said quickly, beaming with joy. "Yes… if we remove him then his spells would naturally be lifted against Victoria. It's not a cure for her vampirism, but that shouldn't stop her from living a normal life again with her family. Many vampires do after the bloodlust transformation."

Anna sat up quickly. "Do you really think it's possible? We might be able to save her then?"

"I think so. In fact…I'm sure of it!" The woman suddenly reached out and hugged Anna. "Thank you, child… you have restored my faith in so many possibilities. Thank you so much for this."

Anna was sobbing on the Minister's shoulder. "She also said… that she loved me," Anna moaned gratefully. She could feel the woman's embrace tighten.

"I'm sure she does, Anna. While Victoria's temper was infamous, she also had a great capacity for love and she proved that again last night when she came to you."

After a long while the two finally separated and wiped their eyes.

"So what do we do now, Minister?"

The woman sniffed and then quickly leaned in again, "It's rather obvious, isn't it?" she whispered back. She smiled evilly "We kill the son of a bitch!" She winked at her and then handed her the vial of silver liquid.

"You'd better take this. I've known Margret Pearl long enough to recognize the disadvantages of getting on her bad side." Anna quickly downed the vial as the Minister stood and raised her wand to drop the curtain of silence around them.

"Ma'am?"

Still smiling, the woman stopped to look down.

"Thank you, Minister. Only you can know what it would mean to me and my father to finally find some hope that someday she might return to us."

The woman lowered her wand. "Returned to all of us; besides you and my husband, Victoria is the only family I have left." She thought for a moment.

"And by the way… I would like the formalities between the two of us to end if you are agreeable. All this 'ma'am' and 'Minister' stuff… I think it's unfavorable to our relationship, and as I said before, you're just as much a member of my family as you are your father's. As such, it would please me greatly if you called me… Helen."

Anna smiled doubtfully. "I don't think that would be possible. My father… he insists on formality."

The Minister sneered. "Yes… Boris is a something of a stickler when it comes to conventional correctness." She looked down again. "I never cared much for that in him." She smiled once more and then kissed her on the top of the head. "Well… how about 'Aunt Helen' then? Do you think that would calm is conventions?"

Anna grinned and nodded. "Aunt Helen… I like it."

The Minister raised her wand again to give it a quick flick, and as the certain around them began to slowly fall, she added, "Certainly better than 'Aunt Helawena'. Gracious me… what was my father thinking?"

242


	39. Chapter 37 - The Limping Man

Chapter 37D08

Chapter 37 (Draft 08)

The Limping Man

ONE

Doctor Pearl was waiting on the other side of the curtain. She had a palm-size crystal bowl with what looked like a lump of blue clay smoldering in its center.

"Another balm, Doctor?" the Minister asked her. "Surely you've salved and poked my niece enough by now, haven't you?"

Pearl looked surprised. "Your… niece, Minister?"

The Minister stowed her wand. "That's right. Anna Grayson is my niece." She looked up at the stunned faces all around her. "Didn't you know?"

"No, ma'am. I… I didn't." Pearl stammered before looking down at Anna again with bulging eyes.

Anna smiled coly and then gave a slight nod in agreement.

"So what is this?" The Minister said, peering down into the bowl again.

Pearl frowned and looked, down almost forgetting what she was holding. "Um… I was going to tell her father in private, but… well… since you are family, I suppose I should tell you as well." She took a deep breath. "Anna has a particularly troublesome wound on her stomach that I've had some difficulty healing. The balm is something I hope will show more promise.

The Minister looked down at Anna. "A wound?" Anna looked surprised as well.

"Yes, ma'am," Pearl added. "In fact… I've never seen anything quite like it before."

The Minister sat next to Anna again. "I would see this wound."

The doctor sat the bowl down, pulled a cloth curtain around them for privacy, and came around to sit on the bed. She then pulled the covers down and raised Anna's shirt up to reveal a thick set of bandages on her stomach. Anna was suddenly worried.

"Are you in any pain, Anna?" Pearl asked her, as she pressed down gently on her bandages.

"Some. A little burning and what I thought was a stomach ache," Anna replied, wincing slightly as the doctor lifted the bandages away. The Minister gasped and Anna was shocked when she looked down. There in the center of her stomach was a deep cut in the shape of a lightning bolt. The skin around the wound was badly swollen and looked to be burned.

"The normal techniques for healing haven't worked and I'm at a loss to understand why," Pearl explained. She reached over to the bowl on the end table to apply the salve.

"Wait!"

Pearl and the Minister looked up to find Thordarson peering down over them with a worried frown. He was staring at the wound as well, as he slowly came around the bed to sit next to Anna on her other side. "Anna," he whispered, quietly, "will you permit me a closer look at this… injury? While my specialty is that of being a healer of minds, I am a healer nonetheless."

Anna looked at Pearl and then nodded.

"Thank you, my dear." Thordarson removed his dark glasses and then leaned over to examine the damaged flesh. After a full minute of inspection, he raised himself up and put his glasses on again.

"I have seen this wound before," he said, worriedly.

"You have?" Pearl was surprised.

"One other time." Thordarson looked at Anna again. "It would seem that you were struck by a killing curse, were you not?"

Anna looked glum. She looked at Pearl and the Minister again and then nodded.

"But… if she was hit by the unforgiveable curse…"

"Why is she still alive?" Thordarson shook his head. "I should think Anna already knows the answer, but I would suspect she was not hit directly, otherwise she would surely have been killed." They all looked at Anna once more.

"It rebounded off of something else before hitting me," Anna explained, hissing loudly as Pearl applied the salve.

"One of the dragons?" Thordarson asked her, as Pearl applied a fresh dressing and then pulled the curtain back.

"Yes, sir. In fact it was Taurus." She looked at Captain Hayman standing at the foot of her bed. "The dragon I took from the limping man. The dragon had a gem embedded in his chest."

Thordarson smiled as Captain Hayman came forward. "You mean this gem?" He pulled out a large red ruby from out of his robes. "One of the Crimson Guards found it in your hand when they brought you back from the Shadowed Forest." He looked back at Dunning.

"It was obviously this same dragon that broke into Anna's room the night Miss Bell was cursed." He peered down again at Anna. "The creature probably imprinted on you as its mother since the smugglers took his egg from the nest before he was hatched. It was bound to go looking for you again after fledging. He probably took the gem for protection after climbing through your bedroom window and then destroying your room looking for you. After escaping from your brother's care, Eric warned us he might steal such objects and seek you out."

Anna nodded and then looked at Sarah Bell's parents. "It was Sugianto that used the unforgivable curse on Sarah that night."

Sarah's mother covered her mouth in horror and then reached out to sooth her unconscious daughter once more.

"I'll return the ruby to your father once our investigation is complete," Hayman added, dropping the stone into his pocket again.

Anna's head slapped back against her pillow. "Oh my — that hurts!" she complained as Pearl applied another healing enchantment over Anna's wound with her wand.

"I'm afraid this might put a damper on your summer holiday," Pearl replied, trying to sooth Anna's pain.

The Minister looked at Thordarson. "You said you've seen this wound before; you're talking about the _boy who lived_?" Thordarson's expression became redolent and the Minister rolled her eyes.

"You always did say Harry Potter would eventually be vindicated," she added, turning to Anna again.

"Your father was in England last night and in a meeting with Minister Fudge about some Gringotts investments. I spoke with him via the Flu an hour ago and told him what happened in the Shadowed Forest last night. I have recalled him from his duties and he's on his way home. I expect he'll be by your side sometime tonight."

Anna settled back in her pillows again. "Thank you, Minis…" the Minister raised a hand of warning to her, "err… I mean, Aunt Helen."

The Minister remembered something important again. "I should tell you that your father also saw _He-Who-Shall-No-Be-Named_ last night.

"What!" Anna quickly rose up and the pain in her stomach raged again.

"He was with Fudge when the alarms sounded at the Ministry in London. Fudge, your father and a number of Aurors saw the fiend Disapparate a few seconds after they arrived. Apparently, he had been locked in battle with Albus Dumbledore. Your father then helped the Aurors and Dumbledore capture the Death Eaters left behind."

The woman turned. "Gillian!"

A man began pushing his way through the crowd from the back.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm here, Minister."

"Gillian… has Boris Grayson acknowledged his recall?"

"Yes, ma'am. Director Grayson is Apparating on U.S. soil again and is waiting for the next ship out at Loon's Lagoon."

Immediately, every cell within Anna's body ignited as she rose up in her bed to glare at the man they called Gillian. Her eyes fell down to his hands; one held a quill at the ready while an open roll of parchment hovered in the air next to him. In his other hand he held an old wooden cane. She remembered the day she saw the Minister and her secretary visiting Chancellor Thordarson in his office to warn him off supporting Dumbledore and the strange thumping sound that followed the Minster down the staircase that day. Anna's eyes followed the wood of the cane down to the man's leg and she growled.

"Very good," the Minister continued. "His sons are making their way down to the docks now, but I want a runner waiting to send us word when his ship arrives. I want to insure…"

"Anna! What are you doing?"

The Minister stopped to look around and found Anna standing in her hospital robes next to her bed.

"You should be in bed," Doctor Pearl scolded her.

The healer came forward quickly as Anna hinted at toppling over. Her face was pale as she peered through a curtain of hair at the Minister's personal secretary under a lowered brow. Her lips quivered and a wave of deadly anger rolled uncontrollably across her growing fangs. Suddenly, she found Pearl and the Minister holding her up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Pearl said. "Get back into bed. You're too weak to think that you might…"

"Please…" Anna said, as the two women moved to push her back, "I must speak to him."

"Anna?" her Aunt suddenly looked worried. "What are you talking about?"

"I have to speak to him. Let me go!" And with a surprising amount of strength well beyond her stature, Anna freed herself from the two women and slowly came forward.

"Anna Grayson… stop!"

"Anna?"

The second voice made her jerk to a stop and when she looked up she found the Chancellor standing next to her looking concerned.

"What is it that troubles you, Guardian?" Thordarson said kindly, stepping in front of her.

He reached down and gently pushed the hair hiding her face to the side and peered over his dark spectacles to look in. She looked up at him and the wizard immediately felt a wave of power moving through his skull. Her stare darkened and the whites of her eyes seemed to pour away, leaving them liquid black. And then something happened that the Chancellor of Castlewood would remember for the rest of his life: it was the first time a Guardian of magic spoke directly to him and in a way that no other witch or wizard could. Two unspoken words sliced their way into his mind to sound a warning.

_Step aside!_

Surprised, Thordarson thought quickly and then tried to reply in kind. _'I do not know if you can hear me, and we do not wish to interfere with the work of the Guardians, but creation has set a __scheme in place for us all. Every life is born to struggle from its beginning until the time it takes its rightful place in the world. However, we all are disposed to choose the shortest path to this success, but in any journey one cannot shorten their path without the moral virtues of patience. You still need time to become what it is you are, Sithmaith. Until then… let us help you.'_

Anna frowned. The words coming into her mind reminded her of something her father had told her before she left to start her second year at Castlewood: _'Your job is to remain patient… until our good work has a chance to take hold.'_

The wave of pressure in Thordarson's mind was at once away and he smiled down at Anna in response. "Patience, Guardian. Please… let us help you."

Anna's eyes looked passed him and to the man standing with the quill. She thought about the Chancellor's offer and then nodded.

"I still have to speak to him, Professor."

The Chancellor turned to look back and then moved to let her pass. Anna flinched as she moved toward the man, suddenly aware of the pain in her stomach once again.

"You are the Minister's secretary?" Anna asked him with a slight grimace owed her wounds.

The man seemed surprised she was speaking to him. "Why yes, I am." He bowed slightly. "Gillian Munt — at your service; I am the personal secretary to the Minister of Magic." His quill fluttered importantly, as it zoomed from his hand and up to the parchment at his shoulder as if ready to take her next statement. His smile was both friendly and ingratiating. "You might recall we have already met; at the end of last summer you and your father arrived at the Ministry to meet with the Minister."

Anna stepped forward again and then leaned in very close to smell him. She then growled ominously. Anna got closer still, moving her nose up through his chest without actually touching him and then down his shoulder and forearm to his hand opposite the cane. She closed her eyes to concentrate hard as the man pulled back.

"Can I help you, Miss Grayson?"

Anna opened her eyes again and then stepped back. The alarm bells banging into her ribs hurt so badly, it took all of her strength to remain upright.

Doctor Pearl stepped forward as if to retrieve Anna again, but the Chancellor motioned her to stop and then put a finger to his lips when she looked to protest.

"You've recently had a dragon egg in your possession? Why?" Anna asked the man.

Gillian seemed surprised. "A… dragon egg?" The man laughed. "Young lady, the unauthorized possession of a dragon egg is a class C felony, punishable by a fine of one hundred galleons and incarceration of up to…"

"Vipertooth eggs," Anna said, cutting him off. "You've had a least three in your hands within the last week."

The man suddenly seemed uneasy. He looked around at the Minister and then the Chancellor. "No…I afraid you are mistaken, Miss Grayson."

Captain Hayman immediately stepped in. He leaned to the side of Anna and whispered, "Anna… what are you doing? Do you realize you are accusing a member of the Minister's personal staff of a crime?"

Anna looked at the captain and then leaned in to whisper something into his ear. Hayman listened intently and everybody in the room could see his surprised expression growing at what she was telling him. He finally straightened again to look down at her.

"Are you sure?"

Anna looked at Gillian again and nodded. "Positive. By the Order of Merlin… you have my word on it."

Hayman thought for a moment and then turned to face the Minister's secretary who looked absolutely dumbfounded by the outstanding accusation.

"Mister Gillian… how long have you been in the Minister's employment?"

"Why… I came under the direction of Minister Barkelnap eighteen months ago." The man looked at the Minister and smiled. "The Minister Barkelnap was very generous in offering me the post my Uncle Orfius did for her before he passed away. He was the Minister's previous secretary for more than twenty years."

Hayman looked back at the Minister of Magic. "How long have you known this man, Minister?"

"I don't understand this line of questioning, Captain," Barkelnap complained. "Gillian is most trusted. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize himself or my office." She came forward to stand next to her man. "Why… the very thought of his being involved in anything underhanded is completely absent from his good character."

"He's not what you think he is," Anna growled.

Gillian looked nervous. "I must protest these accusations and treatment, Captain." The quill floating next to his shoulder seemed to nod in agreement and then scratched the work _unfair_ on the parchment.

"I would never…" Gillian started to say, but suddenly stopped when he saw Anna staring him down. He could feel her mind propping his, digging deep into the folds of his past memories. He covered his eyes with his forearm to protest.

"PLEASE! It is unlawful to use Legilimencywithout a court order!"

"You are the only one in this room with a wand in your hand, Gillian," Hayman told him.

The man opened his eyes and found his wand pointed at Anna.

"What are you doing, Gillian," the Minister protested, pushing his wand hand down. "How dare you raise a wand on my niece!"

"Minister… she was attempting to probe my memories. It is both unlawful and unconscionable!"

"Show me your left forearm," Anna demanded.

The man stared at her disbelievingly. "My… my what?"

Anna stepped forward and grabbed Gillian's wrist and tried to wrench his sleeve up, but he quickly yanked back.

"Get your hands off of me!" All the decorum the man carried up to that moment was now gone.

"He carries the Dark Mark on his arm," Anna snarled.

"What…?" Gillian shot back, suddenly appalled. "Ridiculous!"

"Anna! You will stop this immediately." the Minister said, as the captain tried to push the Guardian back.

"Make him show you!" Anna yelled out, as she made a grab for Gillian once more. "He's with Voldemort!"

She grabbed his sleeve again and the man yanked back. The robe ripped and Gillian and Anna both fell to the floor in the scuffle.

"Unhand me!" Gillian yelled back, shoving Anna to the side and scrambling back to his feet. "I will not be harassed in this way by a child. Minister… I know she's a member of your family, but I must protest this abuse and lack of respect for authority!"

He looked up and suddenly realized something was wrong. Everybody in the room was now frowning at him.

"Gillian?" The Minister said, staring at him with a look of disbelief. He saw her eyes moving to his arm and the man looked down to see his sleeve had been ripped open, and beneath, for all to clearing see, was a blackened brand; the Dark Mark.

Anna was on her feet again as well, but crouched low, ready to pounce. She slowly rose to stand straight, glaring back at the man.

"Death Eater!"

Gillian looked up again and, quite unexpectedly, he smiled. "So it would seem I am finally caught."

He watched three of the Crimson Guards slowly moving for their wands and he immediately responded. In a flash, he whipped his wand around and blasted one of the guards off their feet and then turned to Anna. His sharpened quill suddenly shot forward and then stopped just inches from her face. Suspended there, it shook and quivered, struggling to deliver the killing blow to Anna's skull. The Guardian sneered as her chin jerked forward and the quill was immediately engulfed in purple flames and turned it into ash.

"Nobody move!" Gillian screamed. He was holding the Minister of Magic with his wand to her throat.

"What? Gillian… what is this?" The Minister complained, "Release me at once!"

The man jerked her back hard to hide behind her. "Shut up! Nobody move… or the old woman is dead! And that especially goes for you, Chancellor."

Thordarson nodded worriedly. "As you can plainly see, I am unarmed.

Gillian peered over the Minster's shoulder. "Huh… sure you are!"

Thordarson shrugged. "I am not in the habit of carrying a wand in my own school."

The man smiled wickedly. "You've always been a stupid fool… in that much… this old bat was right about you."

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" the Minister shuddered. "Orfius would be so ashamed."

"He doesn't care about his uncle, Minister," Anna answered back. "In fact, I'm almost certainly he killed your first secretary as a way to gain your sympathies and take his job. He was told to get close to you for his master's sake."

Barkelnap's eyes widened. "No…" she whispered.

"It was in his thoughts. I saw flashes of murder in his memories," Anna growled. "He's the one the Guardians have come to call the limping man. I only wish I had seen his face the day I found the smugglers' headquarters, because I'm sure I would have recognized him. We all thought the limping man was working for the one they called the collector, Sugianto, but it was the other way around. The collector showed the thieves a safer route to the Dragon's Lair and then looked to sell the eggs to a Death Eater as a way to rejoin with Voldemort and make his escape from the plateau.

Gillian was backing away. "Everybody get in front of me. You don't want to force me to hurt her."

Thordarson slowly turned to face the guards. "Let's all move back, please. He's right in saying we don't want anybody hurt."

"I should have realized it was somebody close to the Minister," Anna continued. "I smelled the scent of dragons the first day I met you at the Ministry and then again when you and the Minister were together in the Chancellor's office. All along I thought the Minister was somehow involved with the taking of the eggs, but it was her close proximity to you I was sensing." Anna looked at the Minister and smiled. "Aunt Helen, I apologize for suspecting you."

"Quite understandable, my dear," Barkelnap replied, bravely. "We both have made some mistakes this year, starting with my hiring this retched man as my secretary."

"Enough! I want everybody's wands… now!" the Death Eater demanded, yanking the Minister back again.

Thordarson turned to face him once more. "That, I'm afraid, we cannot do."

The man wrenched on the Minister's neck. "I thought you said you didn't want to see anybody hurt?"

"That is correct, but I will not put more lives in your hands even at the risk of the Minister of Magic." He looked at Barkelnap. "I know Helawena very well and I am sure she would agree."

"Quite right, Elimar," the Minister squeaked out. "I appreciate what you're doing, but enough has already been done on my behalf. No more!"

Gillian began choking her harder. "Are you ready to die then, old woman?"

The Minister was turning red in the face, but said, "To keep others safe… by all means… yes."

"Stop it!"

Gillian looked up and frowned when he saw Anna coming toward him. He pointed his wand at her.

"Halt, girl… or die with her!"

Anna stopped to snarl back. Then she thought for a moment and an idea suddenly came to her. She tried to calm herself even as she watched the Minister being abused.

"You're such a fool… you don't even know who you're holding there, do you?" Anna asked him.

Gillian frowned again. "Oh I think I do… and if you don't want to see her dead then I would suggest…"

"No… I really don't think you do," Anna retorted flatly.

Hayman frowned. He could hear Anna beginning to whisper under her breath next to them. "Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap…"

Hayman cautiously leaned in to the Chancellor. "What is she doing?"

"I… don't know," he whispered back.

"Who is it you think you're holding there?" Anna asked Gillian, whispering under her breath again, "Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap." It sounded near enough to a prayer to the Captain.

"The Minister of Magic, of course. And unless you all do exactly as I say… you're stupidity is going to get her killed."

"WHAT IS HER NAME?" Anna yelled back and then continued to whisper quickly, "Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap."

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Gillian roared in reply. "Chancellor… you will lower the spells on the castle so that we can Apparate away."

"HER NAME, FIEND! WHAT IS IT?" Anna insisted.

Gillian looked at the Guardian and frowned unknowingly. "Shut up! We all know this is Minister…"

"Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap, Barkelnap," Anna whispered in rapid succession.

"Barkelnap!" Gillian and Anna said simultaneously.

At once, something began to howl loudly throughout the room and Anna smiled in response as two lengths of red ribbon began to scream forth from out of the Death Eater's wand. Gillian watched in horror as one of the ribbons left his wand and the other turned to face him. His eyes widened as a clawed hand opened wide to show a mouth full of sharpened teeth hissing back at him.

"What is this?" the man yelled.

Anna smiled again and then whispered, "Jinx!"

The first ribbon flew over everybody's head and then quickly turned to zoom down at Anna, bearing its howling teeth and bloody claw. It was almost upon her when Anna calmly breathed, _"__Finite__ Chirotha!" _The ribbon evaporated in a cloud of bloody ash.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Gillian screamed as the other claw came at him, screaming and howling horrifically.

He pointed his wand and tried to hex the thing. _"Avada Kedav..." _but it was too late. The claw slammed onto his face and sent him flying into the wall behind him. He dropped his wand and his cane fell to the floor as he reached up and desperately tried to free himself from the hand's vice like grip. He pulled and tugged and was picked up off his feet and thrown flat against the ceiling. He seemed frozen there above their heads, his eyes bulging in terror. There was a flash, a loud crack, and the man was suddenly gone.

Chancellor Thordarson reached down to help the Minister back to her feet. "Are you alright, my dear?"

The Minister looked more confused than injured. "Where did he go?" She asked, looking up questioningly.

Anna smiled and then shrugged. "He forgot to say Jinx."

Thordarson smiled as he moved to one of the windows. He twisted the lock and pushed the window open to look down.

"Gregory… I believe the Minister's secretary is now swimming in the castle moat." He looked at Dunning and grinned. "He doesn't have his wand, so I would suggest we help him before the grindylows do."

Lieutenant Dunning hurried over to the window and looked out. "Guards!" He pointed down. "Arrest that man immediately! Take him to the dungeons and triple the guard!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Are you alright, Minister?" Anna asked, taking her gently by the hand.

The woman shook her head. "Thanks to you, my dear, only my pride has been injured. I cannot believe my own secretary… a Death Eater. I'm afraid my disgrace and humiliation are now complete."

Anna smiled. "Ma'am… I thought you were very brave." They smiled at each other and then hugged as Doctor Pearl bustled forward.

"Minister… let me make sure you are uninjured. The way that terrible man was wrenching your neck…"

"Oh tish-tosh, Margaret. I'm fine. In fact, it's just the thing these old bones really needed. It's been a while since I've been in a good row."

THREE

The Spellsburg Seer - June 18th

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS

_In a brief statement Friday night, England's Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named has returned and is active once more. "It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who, I mean - is alive and among us again," Fudge told reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe that the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord - Thingy. We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defense that will be delivered free to all wizarding homes within the coming month."_

_The statement from England's Minister came as a complete surprise to the wizarding community, which received Ministry assurances both overseas and in America that there was no truth to the rumors that You-Know-Who had returned. Reports from England say that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a few followers called Death Eaters broke into the Ministry of Magic in London Thursday evening. Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was at the scene to assist in the capture of some of the Death Eaters, but was unavailable for comment._

_Reports coming out of Spellsburg are also confirming He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and several Death Eaters were seen within the security perimeters of the plateau and in the Shadowed Forest earlier the in the evening Thursday night and before the break-in in London. These reports were corroborated by Chancellor Thordarson of Castlewood Academy this morning who also confirmed three Death Eaters were capturing trying to break into the castle itself. No students were in any immediate danger at the time, and the Crimson Guard was immediately called upon to secure the grounds, the city of Spellsburg and the Shadowed Forest. _

The Spellsburg Seer - June 19th

MINISTER BARKELNAP RESIGNS

_In light of the recent reports of You-Know-Who's return, the United States Minister of Magic has submitted her resignation to the Ministry of Magic. "It is with personal regret that I step aside for the sake of new leadership in the face of this threat," Barkelnap told a hastily summoned group of reporters in Washington DC. "I have also informed the Muggle U.S. President of my decision to remain in office long enough to transition my duties to the new Minister as soon as their selection has been announced. We expect the announcement of a new U.S. Minister will be forthcoming within the next twenty-four hours. _

_Readers were enflamed yesterday by the news of You-Know-Who's reappearance both in the Shadowed Forest around Spellsburg and then in London on the evening of the eighteenth given the efforts by the Ministry and especially Barkelnap's office to deny early reports and warnings of his impending return. "The failure on my part to heed the warnings from both Chancellor Thordarson and Albus Dumbledore can only be rectified by my exit, so I feel it best for the sake of the Ministry and the wizarding community as a whole if I step aside. It has been an enormous privilege to serve as your Minister of Magic, and I will remain available to the new Minister and the wizarding community as we prepare for this threat to our way of life. Goodbye and God bless you all."_

The Spellsburg Seer - June 20th

ESCAPED DROGO PRISONER IS KILLED

_After the astonishing report of You-Know-Who's return and eye witness accounts of his being seen in the Shadowed Forest prior to his break-in at the Ministry of Magic in London, additional revelations have recently come out of Mayor Prower's office in Spellsburg today. "It would seem that the reason You-Know-Who was in the Shadowed Forest was because he and his Death Eaters were working with a band of local smugglers who have been stealing dragon eggs from the Cliffs of Knowtor," the mayor told the assembled press corps late yesterday afternoon. "The plot was uncovered by the Crimson Guard who fell into battle with the smugglers within the forest, a battle that quickly escalated when a number of Death Eaters joined the fight and eventually You-Know-Who himself." _

_Asked why You-Know-Who would want the dragon eggs in the first place, the Mayor could only speculate. "We surmise he was planning to use the dragons as he did some fifteen years ago, in his attempt to terrorize the wizarding population." _

_These details come just two days after the announcement in London about You-Know-Who's return and the U.S. Minister of Magic's resignation yesterday. After the Crimson Guard forced the Unnamed-One to flee the Shadowed Forest, the body of Arief Sugianto, an escaped prisoner from Saint Drogo's Hospital for Incurable Lost Causes, was found dead at the scene. It had earlier been reported that Reginald Carter had escaped from the Prison, but the Mayor's office is now contradicting those early statements, calling them "a mistake" and, in fact, "it was Mr. Arief who had escaped one year ago." Asked to explain this terrible error that sent the entire Wizarding world looking for the wrong man, the Mayor explained that a fire in the prison at the time of the escape caused the misidentification of the dead wizard named Reginald Carter__ as that of __Arief Sugianto. _

"_We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the brave members of the Crimson Guard who fought so valiantly against He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and his followers," the Mayor said today. "Their courage and heroism is an inspiration to us all and something in which we can rely on in the challenging weeks ahead."_

_In an unrelated story, the Personal Secretary to the Minister of Magic has been arrested and charged with espionage. No other details have been made available by the Ministry. _

_As of this printing, the Ministry of Magic has not made any further announcements regarding who will be the new Minister of Magic after Minister Barkelnap' s resignation yesterday. _

241


	40. Chapter 38 - The New Minister of magic

Chapter 38D05

Chapter 38 (Draft 05)

The New Minister of magic

ONE

The Mayor of Spellsburg stood at the podium beaming brightly as he brought his wand around and whispered, "_Sonorus!"_

He cleared his throat and then, "Dear ladies and good gentlemen: It gives me great pleasure today to introduce our guest speaker at this year's graduation ceremonies. He is a man of great distinction and honor and whom I am proud to call one of my closest friends."

Eric leaned over to Anna. "It's amazing how quickly Mayor Prower can cozy up to power, don't you think?"

Anna looked up at her brother and sneered. "Maybe you should remind him about all his threats against you last September." Her brother smiled before turning his attention back to the raised platform where a number of dignitaries sat listening to the mayor at the podium.

"Thus… without further ado, please welcome in his first public appearance as the new United States Minister of Magic — the Honorable Mister Boris Grayson."

There was a shouted cheer and then great applause from the students, their families and the townspeople. They stood to clap for Anna's father who slowly stepped forward to shake the mayor's hand and then turned to hug Chancellor Thordarson as a number of newspaper photographers moved in to take several flashing pictures. Mister Grayson turned to face the audience, placed a hand on his heart, and then bowed at their happy support. Eric and Anna cheered while Damon began to whistle loudly.

"Thank you," Mister Grayson replied, trying his best to motion everyone to take their seats. Finally, when the early summer morning was quiet once again, the Mayor handed the Minister his voice enhancing wand.

"Thank you, Mayor Prower, for your kind words and welcome… and congratulations to all of our seventh year graduates who will soon take their leave of this academy and join the rest of us outside these honored walls. We look forward to your contributions as fully trained wizards and witches. You are, in every way possible, invigorating to those of us hampered by the old ways and perplexed sometimes by the ever changing world around us." He smiled and there was a low murmur of laughter below him.

"Like so many other excited parents today, I am especially proud of my daughters, Tencha and Dowla, who will be graduating today from the splendid Searcher's Union." There was an abrupt cheer from the crowd of Searchers and Tencha and Dowla could be seen jumping up and down and waving happily back at their father.

"I love you, daddy!" Tencha yelled out.

"I love you too, sweetheart," their father said, smiling back. "Although it must be said… given all the grief the two of you delivered to Lieutenant Dunning over these last seven years… I'm sure the Chancellor is as surprised as I am that you made it through unscathed."

The crowd of students laughed and cheered again, and Chancellor Thordarson was shaking his head amusedly at the Minister's words.

Mister Grayson paused to look over the large crowd and for those who really knew him they could see his sudden worry and concern.

"A very influential Muggle and author named David Foster Wallace once told a story in a setting much like this one and I beg your indulgence as I reclaim his thoughts:

"He said two young fish were swimming alone together when they came upon an older fish swimming the other way. The old fish nodded as he passed and said 'Good morning, boys. How's the water today?' The two younger fish swam on for a bit before one looked at the other and said, 'What the heck is water?'" There was a pleasant rumble of laughter once more.

"Wallace went on to comment about the value of simple awareness; awareness of what is real and essential, of the things hidden so well and in plain sight all around us all the time that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over again: This is water. This… is water." The Minister looked out, seeking to make eye contact with everyone listening to him.

"It is my wish that all of you remain vigilant to the beauty surrounding you, to the finest details in the everyday things we see and the effects they have upon you. For they are the wonders rarely noticed in our busy lives, but especially during these times of worry and doubt… and particularly when we find ourselves living in fear.

"I must admit, I come to you today in all humility but with a worried heart. So much has been revealed to the Wizarding World over the last few days about _You-Know-Who__'s_ return and with him… those they call his Death Eaters." His face seemed somber and very serious as he stood before them.

"The challenges facing us in the days ahead will be great." He swallowed hard and then smiled. "But I wanted to share with you my determination, my resolve and purpose, and the Ministry's decided response to this threat to our citizens and to our way of life."

His gaze reached back to the farthest rows. "We will learn much about ourselves in the coming weeks, about who we are and what we're willing to sacrifice in the face of evil and malice." Several more pictures flashed and the sound of scratching quills was heightened. "The Ministry will be publishing a set of guidelines and spells for our families and their protection. Our Aurors and officers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be visiting you in your towns and villages, offering their experience and assistance in the face of this threat.

"Our enemies would laugh at these precautions, thinking them feeble as compared to their own ambitions, but hear me now: I warn all those who would work to usurp power unto themselves, to threaten the innocent for the sake of control, and to redefine what it means to be a witch or wizard in their lust for genocide. WE… will be ready for you!"

The crowd suddenly leapt to their feet to scream their agreement and several sparks were shot into the air as the crowd cheered and clapped loudly.

The Minister continued over the roar. "While we remain ever vigilant to the finest blessings our world and God have to offer us for the sake of happiness, we also will be looking for your treachery and sedition as well, and we will not stand idly by and allow you to take control. You will not find us absentminded to our duties and responsibilities to our families, to our personal honor and heritage." The crowd cheered again.

"We… will fight you! We will fight you with all our strength, heart and soul, as God-fearing people should do in the face of wickedness and criminal malevolence." More sparks popped and flew into the air.

"Yes… we will fight you. And you… will NOT WIN!"

Anna and Eric cheered as Chancellor Thordarson and the entire crowd came to their feet to applaud again. After a long chant from the townspeople of _heart and soul_, the minister finally smiled at them again.

"Good citizens of Spellsburg and honored guests, I see the determination in your eyes and it is equal to my own. I see your zeal for truth the justice far surpassing what is written in law. I am truly strengthened by your resolve, and I hope too - you in mine, but it isn't enough to only fight against these new threats. We must also work to correct the mistakes we have made in the past, even if they were done with the best of intentions. For what can we really do to protect ourselves from those looking to take advantage of our mistrust in each another?"

The Minister paused again. "There are long established practices brought upon decent people in the wizarding world by the ministry that must be examined. Our citizens should not live in fear of the ministry if we are to work productively together with virtuous intent. One such practice is memory alteration. Whether upon our non-wizarding brethren, or those in our squib communities living together in harmony and in full knowledge of our magical world… we should be mindful of the spells that seek to rob them of their memories — and worse… of their heritage."

Some of the Guardians looked over at Nox, who suddenly appeared completely absorbed by the Minister's words. The girl glanced over to her parents who were listening so intently to the Minister's speech that they suddenly looked petrified in their chairs.

"So few understand the repercussions these actions have on these communities, even as they perform the magic that enables this forgetfulness. They do not see the terrible results that come from robbing a people of their past, of their inheritance, but for no other reason than unproven fear and concern." Mister Grayson looked down and then directly at Nox. "And they certainly do not see, nor do they understand, the unbelievable sacrifices made by those who would stay behind to save their families, their friends and their neighbors from these terrible practices." The girl's eyes widened.

Mister Grayson looked out over the crowd again. "We cannot hope to succeed in our quest for justice when we offer injustice to these families and lock their wizarding children into a lesser life. We cannot pray to God for fairness when we force others to sacrifice their future to protect those they love and the communities that helped to raise them. The children of these wonderful families have been compelled to abandon any hope that they would be allowed to offer the world of their talents and share with us their inspired dreams. I can only pray they will forgive us of our unthinking misdeeds against them."

Anna looked at Nox's parents. She could see her father hugging his wife as she laid her head upon his shoulder. She was clearly fighting her emotions and tears.

"Thus, after first taking all the necessary precautions to ensure our readiness to battle _You-Know-Who_and his minions, I am prepared to make my first public decree as your new Minister of Magic. In consultative agreement with my fellow ministers in the Americas, from this day forward, the practice of mass oblivation of our squib communities is henceforth and, hopefully… forever banned."

There was a happy scream somewhere within the crowd and the Guardians jumped to their feet to cheer. They whooped and hollered for Nox who sat in her chair seemingly struck dumb. Her parents were hugging each other and crying as those around them stood to applaud for them.

Anna slowly raised her wand and… without saying a word… purple sparks suddenly shot high into the air and exploded in a loud boom in the bright sky.

Nox rose to her feet and then quickly moved through the crowd to join her parents. They hugged and kissed their daughter and raised their faces to heaven in praise for their freedom from fear.

As the crowd finally quieted again, the Minister of Magic smiled and said, "As we work to right these wrongs, I beg you to stay vigilant and to remain mindful of the slightest changes that seem out of place around you, and… please… do not hesitate to call upon those of us who are in your service and given to keep your trust. Keep a good cheer and… God bless you all."

There was thunderous applause as the Mister Grayson finally turned to shake the Chancellor's hand and numerous blasts from several wands shot into the air once more.

Finally the Chancellor of Castlewood Academy stepped up to the podium and raised his hands to quiet the crowd. After another full minute of _heart and soul_, cheering crowd finally fell quiet and took their seats again.

"Thank you, Minister Grayson, for your inspired words and heart felt encouragement to us all. I think I can speak for everybody here today when I say we look forward to your wisdom and good leadership." He paused importantly and then reached out his hand to summon his orb-topped staff. The staff slowly floated across the stage until it was settled by his side.

Thordarson looked out over the large crowd and said, "This staff is an important artifact of the past. It represents the authority entrusted to every chancellor of Castlewood Academy since the school's founding more than two hundred years ago. But very few also know that it binds me to our school's magical heritage and to uphold those virtuous doctrines the academy represents, and finally… to honor those who put themselves at risk to uphold these principles."

The chancellor then waved his staff and there was a flash next to his right shoulder. A thick tome suddenly appeared to float above the stage. The chancellor smiled and then opened the book to show its dusty pages within.

"This is the Tonnanarsus, Castlewood Academy's_ Book of Births. _Within these pages reside the names of every witch or wizard born in North America. Next to their name is the date of their birth, the date in which their letter of invitation was sent, and any honors given them during their time with us."

He turned and smiled again. "I now call to the stage the following five individuals: Miss Tanya Joe Wangstaff." Everybody in the crowd turned to find Tanya Joe frowning up at the stage.

Suddenly, Gabriel was standing by her side. "TJ you will follow me please."

TJ smiled, as if the whole thing were some kind of joke. "What's goin' on?"

"This way," Gabriel replied, motioning her toward the steps.

"Gwendolyn Reese," The chancellor continued.

Once again, Gabriel moved through the rows of standing Guardians to until she stood before Gwen who was still carrying her sore shoulder in a sling. She motioned Gwen toward the stage. "I'm so proud of you guys," the Guardian Knight said. There was a smattering of light applause as Gwen moved forward.

"Sarah Bell," Thordarson said with added pride.

Like TJ and Gwen, Sarah looked surprised by her being called out. She was sitting on the end of the row and struggled to stand on her crutches.

"Mr. Bell… as we discussed… if you please," Thordarson said, motioning Sarah's father to assist his daughter. Mr. Bell came forward quickly to stand by Sarah's side.

"Daddy? What's happening?" Sarah asked him.

Without saying a word, Sarah's father swept his daughter into his arms and then carried her to the stage as Gabriel followed close behind with her crutches. The applause continued a little louder as the man followed TJ and Gwen up the steps where he finally set Sarah down on her feet again and Gabriel helped to put her clutches under her arms. Sarah's father bent down to look into his daughter's eyes and then kissed her on her cheek.

"You will always be my baby-girl. I love you, sweetheart, and your mother and I are so very proud of you."

"Daddy?"

Her father turned and left the stage with Sarah in happy tears.

"John Dell," the Chancellor called out again.

The crowd turned to find John standing in the back alone with his arm draped in a plaid wrap. Somebody tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to find Eric, dressed in his finest robes, standing there.

"Come with me, old man," Eric told him with a swat on the back. John smiled and then followed his friend to the stage. Some of John's old friends from the Server Union recognized him and cheered loudly as he ascended the staircase.

"And finally…" Thordarson continued, "I would like to call to the stage... Trog… of the Shadowed Forest."

"Attennnnnn — Huh!"

Immediately, three whole squadrons of Crimson Guardian snapped to attention.

"Right— Face!" Lieutenant Dunning bellowed loudly again.

"HAAA—HUH!" The Guards shouted together before snapping to turn right and bringing their heels together again with a loud clunk.

Dunning moved silently down the line to stop in front of the huge figure standing alone at the end of the column draped in crimson robes and a matching mask. The lieutenant turned to face Trog and then snapped to attention.

"You will follow me to the stage, please," Dunning said stoically, and without another word he quickly turned on his heels to face the other way and began leading the two of them toward the front. There was no applause. Only a sea of astonished faces watching in stunned silence.

As the two slowly marched forward, Trog leaned over to whisper down at the lieutenant's back. "I am sorry about this, I am, Lieutenant, sir," the ogre said meaningfully. He could see Dunning's shoulders stiffen.

"LINE… HALT!" Dunning replied.

The two men immediately stopped together at attention and Dunning spun again on his heels to face Trog once more. The ogre stood straight, looking over the top of the lieutenant's head. He was clearly worried.

Dunning stared up at the creature for a long moment and then looked down. He slowly removed a white glove from his right hand and then stuck it out to Trog.

"I was wrong about you, ogre. If you're brave enough to fight Death Eaters in the Shadowed Forest, then I will always be proud to have you under my command."

Trog looked down at Dunning's hand extended to him and smiled under his mask when he shook it gratefully.

"You are hereby promoted from Crimson Guard in training to squad leader. Do you accept the duties and responsibilities offered you?"

Trog looked taken aback. "I… am… unworthy, I am," he replied.

"Oh — shut up!" Dunning whispered back, and for the first time anybody could remember, the man actually smiled. "Can I count on you or not?"

Trog released the lieutenant's hand and snapped to attention. "You can, sir. I accept, I do!"

Dunning slowly leaned in and whispered, "Good. So, from now on… I'll be counting on you to keep the Guardians in line. I know she's your friend, but can I trust you to make your duties a priority and keep her out of trouble?" The lieutenant watched the ogre's eyes moving up to look into the crowd and to Anna Grayson smiling at him in the distance. The ogre looked down at Dunning again.

"She is the first, she is, and much more than you know." Dunning frowned as he noticed the green in the ogre's eyes suddenly change to purple. "And… I will keep her out of trouble, lieutenant, I swear…" Trog growled ominously, "even if I am forced to sit upon her head, yes."

"I will hold you to it, ogre," Dunning replied flatly, putting on his glove again. Then he reached up to straighten Trog's robes upon his shoulders. "Now then," he said with a huff, "you will follow me to the stage." He came to attention once more, snapped around again on his heels, and then matched forward.

"Way to go, Trog," whispered a voice from out of the Crimson ranks and Dunning snapped back in response.

"Shut it!"

The lieutenant stopped and then motioned Trog up the groaning staircase where he found the Chancellor of Castlewood and the Minister of Magic smiling at him.

"Now that we're all here…" Thordarson raised his arms into the air. _"__Nouméa__-I__ncenda-Captus!"_

At once, there was another flash of light and a pedestal appeared in front of the Chancellor, and on the pedestal sat a familiar object to all of the Guardians; the Living Ore of Nouméa engulfed in green flames. Thordarson waved his staff and several pages within the Book of Births were flipped over to a list of names inside.

"For outstanding bravery in the face of a life-threatening enemy to the entire wizarding world." The Ore of Nouméa suddenly bloomed and fingers of fire leapt from its surface to write the Chancellor's words in the air for all to see. "For exemplary courage dedicated to the protection of the City of Spellsburg, Castlewood Academy, its students, teachers and residents," The words were again ablaze in green flames above them. "And for stopping the destruction of a protected species in the Shadowed Forest… these individuals, Tanja Joe Wagstaff, Gwendolyn Reese, Sarah Bell, John Dell and Trog of the Shadowed Forest are hereby awarded the Order of Merlin, second class, on this day June twentieth, nineteen ninety six." The words of flame were etched into the air and the Minister of Magic came forward with Mayor of Spellsburg by his side. The Mayor was holding a pillow of blue velvet with metals and ribbons displayed. The Minister lifted one of the metals and reached out to pin it upon TJ's robes under her left shoulder.

"Tanya Joe Wangstaff of the Great State of Texas; on behalf of a grateful nation, I hereby award you the Order of Merlin."

TJ looked down at her metal and then up again at Boris Grayson. "Much obliged, sir," she said simply. "It's a perty-thang — and plumb worth the bruises — that's a fact."

The Minister smiled down at her and then kissed her on each of her cheeks and as he did… he whispered into her ear, "Thank you for fighting to protect all of us." He looked meaningfully into the girl's eyes and then straightened before stepping to the side to let Mayor Prowler come forward.

"Tanya Joe… may I call you TJ?" the mayor asked her.

TJ smiled widely. "I'd be honored, sir."

"TJ… I have already informed your family of the honors presented to you today and I have collected this letter for you from your father. You should read it in private on your way home today. I believe he's the only man in the world who could be more proud of you than the residents of our grateful city."

The mayor shook TJ's hand and then kissed her on the cheeks as the crowd applauded and the Minister moved to face Gwen. The Minister lifted another metal from the mayor's pillow and then moved forward.

"Mister Grayson… what about Anna, sir? Why isn't she up here on the stage with us? She was the one who…"

"Gwendolyn Prentis Reese of California: On behalf of a grateful nation, I hereby award you the Order of Merlin." The Minister said loudly, pinning the metal upon Gwen's robes. He then kissed her on the cheeks and whispered, "Thank you Gwen for being such a good friend to Anna and fighting by her side."

Gwen stared at him and then nodded. "I love Anna like a sister, Mister Grayson… but she deserves…"

"That's Minister Grayson…." the major said, correcting her, "if you please." He shook Gwen's hand. "I have a letter here from your parents as well. On behalf of a grateful city, thank you."

Gwen nodded, took the letter, and then watched as the Minister stood before Sarah.

"Sarah Mary Bell of Minnesota: On behalf of a grateful nation, I hereby award you the Order of Merlin."

Again the Minister of Magic pinned the metal on Sarah, kissed her and then leaned in to whisper, "You more than all the others, Sarah… I owe the greatest debt of thanks. Thank you for fighting to protect the cause of magic and remaining so loyal to Anna even after the treachery done against your person." Sarah looked up at Mister Grayson in surprise. "Chancellor Thordarson told me about the unforgivable curse placed upon you and the moral fortitude it took on Anna's behalf to protect her. I hope you and your family can come to visit us on Grayson Hill this summer, so that I might properly show a father's gratitude."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, Sir. I would be honored to come."

The Minister nodded and then stepped to the side again as the mayor shook Sarah's hand. "Miss Bell… I do not have a letter from your parents, but I think…" he turned to direct her attention to Sarah's parents who were watching from the audience, "they are in the very best seat in which to watch your presentation. They honor us with their presence in our city today."

The crowd applauded again as the Minister moved to place another metal on John.

"Johnathan Albert Dell of Ontario Canada: On behalf of a grateful nation, I hereby award you the Order of Merlin."

"Thank you, Minister."

Boris shook John's hand and then quietly reached into his pocket to pull out another small envelope. "This is a note again for your services to my daughter and my family, John. I can't thank you enough for everything you and Valeria Ines did for us this year."

John looked down at the envelope and frowned. "What? More hazard pay? Sir… I can't take that. We agreed on a fair salary at Christmas and I'm more than happy with our agreement."

The Minister smiled. "Eric told me you'd say that, so I give you this choice: Either take this small portion of what I owe you…" he suddenly gripped John's hand very tight and then leaned in to whisper, "or put up with my daughter using the bracelet you gave her to call you to her side all summer long until you do."

He stepped back and saw John Dell thinking hard about this possibility. John finally smiled coyly and then accepted the note.

"Good man," the Minister said, stepping to the side once again.

"Are you all right, Anna?" Eric whispered into his sister's ear behind her. She was standing alone in the back of the crowd.

Anna turned and smiled back. "Isn't it wonderful, Eric? The Order of Merlin! Oh it's so exciting!"

Eric smiled as he watched their father on the stage. "I hope you understand the only reason you're not up there is because father and the Chancellor didn't want to bring a lot of attention to your involvement in the Shadowed Forest."

Anna was still smiling. "I don't care about that, so long as everybody knows what our friends did. They were all so very brave."

Eric kissed the side of his sister's head and then slid his hand around her shoulder as they watched their father take the last metal from the pillow and reached as high as he could to pin it on Trog's crimson robes.

"Trog of the Shadowed Forest: On behalf of a grateful nation, I hereby award you the Order of Merlin." The Minister said loudly, and the crowd applauded again. Mister Grayson shook Trog's enormous hand and then whispered, "Are you sure Glors won't be joining us today so that I might show my respect and a wizard's admiration for what the two of you have done for us?"

Trog smiled to show the bottom row of his brick-like teeth under his mask. "No, Minister. My Glors is a stubborn one, she is, and she finds human to be…" he suddenly hesitated.

"Yes?" the mayor said, interestedly. "She finds humans to be… what?"

Trog straightened. "She says they smell funny, they do."

"Smell funny!" the mayor bristled. "Of all the…"

The Minister laughed. "I must agree with her, Trog. Sometimes we humans are uncleanin both body… and soul." Boris thought for a moment and then said, "Please tell your mate that the Minister of Magic owes her a life debt. Does she understand what that means?"

Trog was stunned. "She does indeed, sir. All too well, she does. Are you sure, Minister? The owing of a life debt to a mountain ogre is a very serious obligation. If I tell her what you've said… Glors will hold you to it, she will!"

"And so she should, Trog, because it's true. You tell her exactly what I said, word for word. A life debt is owed and one day I hope to pay her back for the courage the both of you have given us."

Chancellor Thordarson raised his staff high into the air again and then commanded, _"__Nouméa__-__Captus!"_

The writing in the air over the Ore of Nouméa was immediately sucked into the Book of Births and burned into the pages next to the names of those on the stage. When the words were captured, the book slammed itself shut and the crowd cheered and applauded loudly again. There was another flash and the ore and the book disappeared.

As Trog and the Guardians left the stage, the shadow of something huge unexpectedly passed over the platform and there was a panicked scream somewhere in the crowd. Everybody looked up to see a large Vipertooth circling above them and Anna's eyes widened as she tried to shield her eyes from the sun.

"It's a dragon… and it's going to attack!" somebody yelled.

"Guards!" the mayor yelled. Immediately, several Guards bolted onto the stage to surround the Minister of Magic. Several chairs were tipped over and many in the audience began running from the field.

The dragon continued to slowly circle overhead in a soundless almost lazy manner, dipping its wings to look down at crowd before turning to fly over again.

"What in the world are you waiting for? Fire—FIRE!" Prower yelled at the guards. The reaction to this order was immediately evident in the dragon's posture. It suddenly whipped about and halted in midair to reveal a set of open claws.

"SILENCE!" said a roar over their heads, and everybody looked up to see Chancellor Thordarson glaring out at them. The orb upon his staff lit his face in the brightest of blue light.

"Please… everybody remain calm. I see no immediate danger here to anybody unless we overreact."

"But we must protect ourselves and the Minister!" Prower yelled back.

Thordarson smiled. He looked over to the podium. "I didn't realize the Minister was in any danger."

Mister Grayson pushed through the circle of guards surrounding him to look up at the dragon.

"Boris?" Thordarson asked again. There was a tone of amusement in his voice.

Mister Grayson looked at the Chancellor and then smiled. He pushed the wand of one of the guards down. "Lower your wands, please," he told the guards. They looked surprised and the slowly obeyed.

The dragon barked loudly and then turned to fall into a gliding circling once more.

"What's it doing here if not getting ready to strike?" the mayor asked.

"Fortunately… we do have two experts here to help us answer that question. Professors Motim and Grayson are our Care of Magical Creatures teachers at the Academy. I'm wondering what they would say about this?"

Still looking up at the circling dragon, Eric walked to the front of the stage where Professor Motim could be seen with a small telescope inspecting the creature overhead.

"What do you think, Professor?" Eric whispered.

"Hmmmm", Motim murmured, still looking through the glass. "Flapping slow and easy with no aggressive posture that I can see. I don't know." He abruptly whacked Eric in the chest with the scope. "Take a look for yourself."

Eric peered up through the glass to watch the creature through its turns. "She's not showing the normal hunting deportment."

"No… not at all," Motim agreed, "and she certainly wouldn't be barking like if she intended to make a dive on her prey." He turned to look up at the Chancellor and shook his head. "If she meant to attack… she would have already carried somebody off."

Sarah and Gwen were standing by Anna who was looking at the Guardian Tower several hundred yards away.

"What do you think it's doing, Anna?" Gwen asked her.

Anna looked back up at the dragon once more. "I don't know… but…"

"But she's not the only one," Sarah Bell said, cutting across Anna.

Gwen and Anna looked at Sarah who was also staring at the top of the Guardian Tower.

"What?" Gwen looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Sarah looked at Anna. "Something else is coming," she said worriedly.

Anna glanced down at Sarah and then smiled. She was so impressed with her roommate's awareness. "Can you tell what it is yet?" Anna asked her.

Sarah looked up at the tower again. "Another dragon, I think."

"It's coming down," somebody yelled, and immediately the guards raised their wands again. Sure enough, they could see the beast descending toward the platform in a lazy, almost indifferent manner, giving off a rather humorous bark between each flap of its great wings.

"You might want to step aside, Minister," Thordarson suggested, and Boris, Mayor Prower and the guards suddenly began to scatter. A few seconds later, the beast landed with a heavy and wood-crunching thud upon the platform. There were a few screams from the watching crowd who began backing away from the stage. Husbands moved to protect their wives and children in fear.

The dragon watched the crowd as they backed away and snarled at the wizards who raised their wands.

"Well… hello again."

The creature whipped about to find Tanya Joe standing at the base of the platform below her. Its horned head quickly came forward to inspect the Guardian closely.

"What in God's name are you doing, child?" Prower whispered. "Get back! Get back, I say!" he commanded, trying to wave her off.

TJ ignored him. "I remember you," she said to the dragon. "You-wuz in the courtyard after Christmas, weren'tcha?"

The dragon's eyes narrowed as her head came forward to sniff at TJ's robes and then turned its head sideways to inspect her back. TJ's eyes widened when the creature bumped her in the rear.

"Oops! Careful there… if you'wer a boy - I'd have to cuff ya on the nose for gettin' fresh." She looked around at all the Crimson guards pointing their wands and her smile fell. She looked up at the dragon once more with worried concern.

"I'll grant ya-got more backbone than two ah-yer kind put together, but right now, hon… I'm thinkin' yer shootin' craps with the devil here."

The dragon looked over at the wands pointed at her and growled ominously.

TJ looked at the guards. "Ya might just wanna lower dim' wands, boys. She don't mean no harm, but she could start a fight in an empty house, right now." Nobody moved.

TJ heaved worriedly again, as she reached up to tap the crawl of the dragon to retrieve her attention. The dragon whipped its head about to look down at her.

"Listen, girlfriend… you'd better say whatcha' came here ta'say and then move along, if-in ya git ma'meanin'."

The dragon's curled its lips and then raised its head high. It barked loudly into the air and then rose up on its hind legs to roar. The crowd covered their ears as the creature bellowed loudly.

TJ looked at the mayor. "You'd better add some water to the soup, cause… I think we're getting' more comp'ny!"

Gwen looked down at Sarah Bell who was still watching the Guardian Tower intently. She could feel the girl gripping her hand tight.

"It's coming," Sarah said knowingly.

And then, rising up from behind the Guardian Hall, another enormous dragon came into view. It flapped forward to clear the wall and then dipped its wings to glide forward over the platform. Below in its claws, dangling precariously underneath, was the most incredible and welcome sight the Guardians had seen all year. The dragon stopped in mid-air to flap in place before setting the Mirror of Enlightenment down upon the stage and then folded its wings back to remain perched on top. Amazed, the crowd of guests and townspeople stood in the field around the chairs completed stunned.

It was TJ who first started to applaud and she was quickly joined by Sarah Bell and Anna and then Mister Grayson. The two dragons raised their heads high and barked together as the rest of the crowd slowly joined in.

Several more shadows began to darken the field around them and everybody looked up to watch a number of dragons slowly flapping across the blue sky. One after another, then three, and then more than a dozen glided unhurriedly through the air and then turned as one to head north.

Eric pointed to the Shadowed Forest in the distance and the Crimson Guards turned to see several more dragons moving north. It was the most beautiful formation of flight Spellsburg had ever seen, a series of V-shaped groups moving toward some unknown destination. The dragon, still perched atop the Mirror of Enlightenment, raised her wings and barked again before gently lifting off to join the retreat. The Mirror wobbled precariously as the other dragon raised her head to watch the group heading away and then raised her wings across the entire stage, causing the Minster and several of the guards surrounding him to duck low.

The dragon twisted its head upside down to look down at TJ once more and Texan tried to twist her head over sideways to look back. The creature sniffed at her and then moved forward to stare directly into TJ's eyes. The Guardian gulped loudly as the dragon suddenly opened its mouth. The creature then licked her entire front, from her stomach to her chin and then up through her face.

"UUUUUGGGHHH!" TJ groaned loudly, and the rest of the Guardians started to laugh.

TJ peered up through the goo now dripping down her face. "Lordy-be… was'at really necessary?" The dragon raised its head again to bark in a tone that sounded to everybody like laugher.

"Alright — alright… so we've swapped spit and doused the fires… it's time to hit the road!"

The great beast barked again and then leapt into the air. With three great flaps of its enormous wings, it finally dipped down and shot over the crowd and across the open field. She turned quickly, flapped several times again, and then joined the end of the line of dragons heading north.

Gwen looked at Anna. "Where do you think they're going?"

Anna smiled as she watched the remaining dragons flying away into the morning sky.

"Home…" Anna whispered. She looked at Gwen and Sarah Bell. "Back to the cliffs."

TWO

Anna was smiling on the deck of the Allegheny Pride as she watched Gwen carrying Sarah Bell's skis up the gangway.

"I still don't understand why these stupid things didn't go with the trunks," Gwen complained.

Anna looked up to watch hundreds of black trunks snaking their way through the air from the top of the plateau and then down toward the great ship, preparing itself for the trip home. The familiar sound of barking officers gathered Gwen's attention as she straightened to watch with interest some of the ship's burly crew hustling about the deck.

"I told you… if it doesn't fit in the trunk then they have to be carried or left behind."

Anna smiled. She might have been the only one to really notice, but ever since the death of the vampire Sugianto, Sarah's stutter had thankfully ended. The last reminisces of the unforgivable evil done to her was finally and forever gone.

"Left behind…" Gwen grumbled under her breath, "now there's an idea worth consideration." She looked at Anna.

"Hey Super-G!" She looked around meaningfully. "Is your dad… err… I mean… the Minister… on board yet?" Her smile looked strained. "Boy… it's weird to think of your father as the Minister of Magic."

Anna sighed. "No… daddy and Eric took an early ship this morning."

"What?" Gwen suddenly looked heartbroken. "But I didn't get to say goodbye to Eric."

"Neither did I," Anna replied sullenly, "and I get the feeling I won't get to see a lot of daddy this summer either. I don't think I'm going to like his being the Minister."

Gwen's expression turned wicked. "Well there's one very good thing that's already come out of your father getting the top job."

"What's that?"

Gwen leaned in furtively. "Debbie Dunning."

Anna frowned. "What about her?"

"Haven't you noticed? She's been going out of her way to avoid anybody she knows is close to you since your dad became Minister." Gwen directed Anna's attention to Debbie Dunning and her gaggle of Defender friends talking surreptitiously by themselves near the railing. Gwen looked back at Anna and bounced her eyebrows. "Watch this."

Anna frowned as Gwen yelled out, "Hey TJ! TJ… over here!"

Tanya Joe Wangstaff was still wearing her Order of Merlin metal as she stepped off the gangway and dropped onto the ship's deck. She looked up to see Gwen motioning covertly toward the Dunning girl. TJ smiled and then returned a furtive little nod. Anna watched as TJ headed toward the back of the ship and then suddenly reversed directly to sneak up behind Debbie.

"Hey'ya double-D … how'ya doin', girl?" TJ said happily, slapping Dunning on the back as she walked by. Debbie looked up and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She quickly turned and ran headlong into the mast before escaping down the staircase and the cabins below.

Gwen started laughing hysterically as TJ walked up to give them two happy thumbs-up. "Is'zat what you'wer hankerin' fer?"

"What the heck is her problem?" Anna said, looking mystified.

"Girl's lost her vertical hold just thinkin' bout somebody more power than'er brother. Yer daddy becomin' Minister? Oh that's put'a big'o hole in her fence."

"I don't know why. It's not like I'll be owling my father whenever Debbie gets out of line."

"Yeah… but she don't know that," TJ laughed back.

"What do you mean?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "You're kidding me, right? You really can't see the advantages of having your father become the Minister of Magic?"

"Not really — no. In fact, it probably puts a bigger target on his back for Voldemort, and I wouldn't call that an advantage."

"I'd say yer' brother's got it figured out well enough," TJ suggested, pointing at Damon who was standing among a large crowd of students and talking excitedly.

Anna wasn't sure what to think about the sudden popularity of her family, so she moved to change the subject.

"So… I took Swooper out for a quick flight this morning."

"Yeah? So he's fully recovered then?"

"I think so. Jeremiah wouldn't let me take him outside the stadium because of the dragon alert, but he was really happy to finally get into the air again."

Suddenly, Gabriel had joined them. "Hi guys. Congratulations again on your Ministry awards." The Guardian Knight was looking at TJ and Gwen who smiled back, but Sarah looked angry.

"Anna… could I have a word in private," Gabriel asked her.

Anna frowned. "Sure… anything wrong?"

"I just need a minute." She took Anna by the arm and led her over to the railing. She looked back at the others and noticed Sarah's curdled expression.

"I think Sarah is still angry with me for trying to lock her away the night you went into the Shadowed Forest."

Anna shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Deep down, I think she really knows you were only trying to protect us."

"Really, Anna? Do you really believe that? I hope so, because that's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm really sorry I didn't press Dunning hard enough to let you out of the dungeons, but I really thought you would be putting yourself in terrible danger otherwise."

Anna thought about it and smirked. "And you were exactly right, Gabriel. In fact, I nearly got all of us killed."

Gabriel stared at her and then came forward to hug Anna. "But you didn't… and you were so very brave. I promise to listen more closely the next time, okay?"

Anna hugged her back and then she said something she prayed was true. "I hope there never is a next time."

They pulled back and Gabriel sniffed. "Anyway… that's all I wanted to say. I hope you have a good summer and I'll see you in September again."

Anna smiled and then nodded as the girl turned and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"What was all that about?" Gwen asked her.

Anna looked at her friends and shrugged. "She just wanted to apologize for trying to stop us that night."

"She should be sorry," Sarah fired back bitterly.

There was another long pause until Gwen decided she wanted talk about the subject that had been bothering all of them since the graduation ceremony.

"Anna… I don't understand why you didn't get a metal today too. I mean… you were the one who alerted us to the smugglers going into the Shadowed Forest and you fought just as hard as the rest of us to stop them. You were the one _You-Know-Who_ was after and you were the one who ended up stopped him." Gwen fell back and then added, "And as for your mother…" she tried to sound delicate. "You probably saved all of us there."

"That's right," TJ said, looking down at Sarah who already had tears in her eyes. "It ain't right we should be da-ones gittin' alda credit." The girl looked down at the metal pinned to her robes and then lifted it off.

"The Order of Merlin – Second Class," the metal said in a squeaky little voice, as TJ handed it to Anna. "For outstanding bravery in the face of a life-threatening enemy to the entire wizarding world. For exemplary courage…" TJ shook the metal angrily until it stopped.

"Here… take mine."

Anna smiled. "No, TJ, you keep it. That's not necessary."

"But it is!" Gwen said. She then removed her own metal from her pocket and tried to give it to her friend.

"The Order of Merlin – Second Class," the adornment peeped again. "For outstanding bravery in the face of a life-threatening…"

"Oh shut it!" Gwen barked at the metal.

Anna smiled again and then reached inside her robes to pull out a small, velvet box. She opened the box and showed it to her friends. The Order of Merlin sat in the bottom with Anna's name on the tiny placard below it.

"My daddy and Chancellor Thordarson gave it to me privately before we went out for the graduation ceremony."

"But why was it kept private? The whole town should know what you did that night," Gwen argued back.

"Because of what you already said, Gwen. Voldemort came to the Shadowed Forest to kill me, and he's probably going to keep trying to kill me and my father now that he's become the Minister of Magic. The Chancellor has always felt it necessary to keep me hidden away while we're still in school and to keep all the talents and skills the Guardians possess a secret. Going forward… the Ministry and Thordarson are going to work very hard to keep every one of us out of the limelight."

Anna closed the velvet box and slid it into her pocket again. She then took Gwen's metal from her hand, smiled again, and then stepped forward to pin it on her friend's robes.

"For outstanding bravery in the face of a life-threatening enemy to the entire wizarding world," Anna whispered.

She reached over to take TJ's metal and pinned it back onto her robes as well. "For exemplary courage dedicated to the protection of the City of Spellsburg, Castlewood Academy, its students, teachers and residents."

Anna looked over to Sarah and then hugged her roommate. "For stopping the destruction of a protected species in the Shadowed Forest," she looked into Sarah's eyes and then kissed her on the cheek, "and for moral fortitude in the face of the unforgivable." A tear leaked down Sarah's cheek where Anna had kissed her. "I love you, Sarah."

Anna looked over at Gwen and TJ. "I love all of you. Thank you for going with me that night and standing by me when…" Anna shuddered as her friends came forward.

The four girls hugged each other for a long time and sobbed quietly together until another member of the deck crew accidently broke them apart.

TJ sniffed and then started wiping the front of Gwen's robes. "Fer the best anyhow; y'all don't need dragon spit all over yer'robes too."

"That's not necessary…" Anna said smiling as TJ brushed her off. "I get the feeling all of the Guardians are probably immune to Vipertooth venom."

"Who said anythin'bout venom? It's just plain disgustin'," TJ began wiping off Sarah as well, "and it smells worse than bull-snot!" They all laughed.

"So what's in the box, Sarah?" Anna asked her roommate.

The other girls looked down at a square-handled box wrapped in a blanket.

Sarah smiled. "Oh it's just an old friend of yours that I decided to take home with me," she replied.

"A friend of mine?"

"Yeah… I caught him trying to drag your book bag out our bedroom window while you were at lunch," Sarah said, looking irritated as she turned to remove the cover. They could see the box was actually a cage and inside the cage was the most surprising sight.

A half-blackened pixie was lying in the bottom of the cage under a rag. It peered up with one eye in the unexpected sunlight and then jumped to his feet to growl at them.

"Moo-gak… tak ya noos."

"Oh my God… Mowgawk!" Anna yelped.

"Yeah… Professor Bots said I could take him home with me and see if I could teach him some manners," Sarah explained.

"Manners! Are you kidding me? That thing's a killer!" Gwen bellowed, disbelievingly.

Sarah crossed her arms to study the creature. "Oh I don't know. Maybe what he needs is just a different environment and some people that really care about him. My brothers and sisters have been begging me to bring home a magical creature all year."

"And you chose him?" Gwen shook her head and looked at TJ. "I think she's lost her mind again."

Anna was staring at the pixie intently and when their eyes met, the Guardian could feel nothing but malice pouring out of Mowgawk's heart. She watched as the creature put a hand to his burnt face and then snarled at her.

"Ana-gray-sin, heh-heh. Moo-gak… tak ya noos." He suddenly grabbed the bars to his cage and began yanking them madly back and forth. "Tak-ya-life, tak-ya-life, tak-ya-life!"

Sarah whacked the side of the cage. "HEY! Settle down, you nasty little bugger!" The blow sent the creature tumbling backward into his rags. The pixie was furious but backed away when Sarah poked her finger through the bars at him. "Now lay down or I'll clip your wings!"

To everybody's surprise, Mowgawk began to shrink back. He angrily threw his rag to the side, crawled under, and mumbled something under his breath as he rolled over to show them his back.

"Ana-gray-sin... Moo-gak… tak ya noos, heh-heh," he grumbled.

Sarah smiled up at them. "You see? You just have to be firm."

Gwen was shaking her head. "Yeah? Well you'd better hope that thing never gets out of his cage or he's liable to cut your throat in your sleep."

TJ had to agree. "That one's two bubbles off plumb, fer'sure."

"Maybe so…" Anna replied. She looked over at her roommate and smiled. "But I think Sarah can handle him."

138


	41. Chapter 39 - The Ally

Chapter 39D14

Chapter 39 (Draft 14)

The Ally

Eric and Anna were walking alone through the woods on Grayson Hill. It seemed to the both of them the world around them had become unnaturally quiet given everything that had happened over the last few days. Anna felt tired and very frustrated. Edith Porchdow had been helping her search for the vessel containing Leola Grayson from the moment she had come home without success and Anna could never remember feeling so weak. It was as if the fight with Voldemort had taken everything out of her body, but she was starting to suspect her new frailty had nothing to do with the Dark Lord. Anna was now sure her failing strength was because of her missing Ally.

Anna never understood why magic had sought to bring Leola to her, but from the very beginning it was clear there was something vastly important about the Sithmaith and the Ally being together in the fight to come. And now that the magical world knew Voldemort had returned, it would seem whatever their connection, the relationship between the first Guardian of Castlewood and her magical Ally was more critical now than ever before. More to the point, without Leola by her side… Anna found her body and mind declining at an extremely increasing rate.

Anna finally decided to break the silence around them. "Eric… do you believe all things happen for a reason?"

Eric frowned and looked down at his sister. He thought about it and answered, "Sometimes… yes, I think so. Why do you ask?"

Anna continued down the path for a while before she said, "I used to think so as well. I thought God always worked to bring good into the world, but these last few days have forced me to reconsider that." She looked up at him. "I still have my faith… but I just don't understand why we have to have tyrants in the world like Voldemort." She heaved loudly. "Why did he have to come back?" Eric couldn't seem to find an answer either.

They continued together again before she added, "For that matter… why did father become the Minister of Magic? Is this part of God's plan too, because I have to say, Eric, just the thought of it terrifies me. You know his position is going to make him a target. Why did the Ministry select him?"

"Because our father was telling those he trusted in the Ministry all along that Voldemort was back. Although nobody wanted to believe him at the time, he was persuasive enough to force a few key directors to take some rudimentary precautions just in case it turned out he was right."

Eric looked down at his sister again. "That being said… you know… they offered the job to Thordarson first."

Anna stopped to look at him. "What? Then… why didn't the Chancellor take the job?"

"Probably for the same reason Albus Dumbledore has always refused to become Minister in England. The two of them care more about the future of our wizarding children than they ever did for themselves." Eric looked up into the high canopy to think again. "It was Thordarson who recommended our father for the Ministry position and it was Dumbledore who talked him into taking the job."

Anna's jaw dropped. "Why would they do that? I thought Thordarson and Dumbledore liked our family!"

"They do, Anna, they do, and they have a lot of respect for our father as well. But like our father, they also know the job of Minister is not all prestige and glamor… it's a lot of hard work and even dangerous at a time like this. The fact is… they saw a man in our father who was obsessed with being prepared, who would be willing to fight Voldemort to the bitter end if that ever became necessary, and because… in the end… it probably will become necessary. It might not seem fair to us, the Grayson children, but if you set all of our fears aside for a moment and think about it… who would be better than our father to do what needs to be done?"

"Well — I still don't like it!"

Eric smiled. "And I don't like it either. In fact, I think the only one in the family who thinks the whole idea of our father becoming the Minister is probably Damon."

Anna smirked. "The idiot."

They continued again down the path, the both of them lost in their own thoughts; Anna, with her worries about their father, and Eric with his fears about Voldemort.

"That was some quick thinking on your part, by the way, to use the Jinx hex on the Minister's secretary the way you did."

Anna smiled up at her brother who was staring down the path in front of them.

"I guess putting the Jinx on the entire castle turned out to be a good thing after all," he said with a smirk. "So you see? God sometimes does work in mysterious ways for the good, to be sure." He looked down at her again as they walked. "You do realize, of course, it was Chancellor Thordarson who created the Jinx in the first place, right?"

Anna stopped again. "You're kidding me?"

Eric smiled. "Nope. He told the staff that he was doing it as a way to keep the noise levels within the castle to something a little more tolerable this year."

"So that's why the teachers never moved to get rid of the thing, because it was the Chancellor's doing all along!"

"And as it turned out… it probably saved Minister Barkelnap's life," Eric said with a wink. "Who would have guessed that something so innocent would have turned out to be so useful?"

"Innocent!" Anna shot back. "Why that stupid Jinxed hand was downright terrifying. There were kids in school that were having nightmares, and why not? A bloody, branded hand with a screaming mouth full of teeth? What was he thinking?"

Eric laughed… "Oh so you did notice the brand on the palm, did you? I would have thought that would have given you a clue about who conjured the Jinx in the first place."

"Yeah… it said 'CC'. What was that supposed to mean?"

Eric led her down the path again. "Why… the Chancellor of Castlewood, of course."

After another length of time spent alone with their own thoughts, Anna felt Eric's hand slip into hers as they walked.

"Are you okay?"

Anna looked up at her brother and smiled. "Um… sure; why do you ask?"

"Ever since we got home you seem very distracted."

Anna smiled and then shrugged. "I don't know… I haven't really been sleeping all that well."

Her brother frowned. "Given what you've been through, I guess that should be expected."

Anna didn't reply. Of course her sleepless nights should have been expected. After all, Voldemort was the very embodiment of a living nightmare.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't had a good night's sleep for months," Eric added.

Anna frowned up at him. "For months? Why?"

He shrugged, but Anna could see her brother knew why.

"Tell me," she said, caringly.

He continued their walk together down the path and Anna followed. Finally, he said, "I've been having the strangest dreams since Christmas."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?"

He looked at her. "Dreams… about my mother."

Anna stopped dead in her tracks. "Your mother? You mean… Leola Grayson?"

Eric turned to look back at her and frowned. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never heard Anna say his mother's name. To him, in some unexplainable way, it was very odd to hear her say it.

"Yeah… that's right." He turned again to continue down the path and Anna quickly followed. "But I don't think they've been what you would call normal dreams. They've been very strange."

Anna was anxious. Since arriving home again her every waking moment had been dedicated to finding Leola, to rescuing her Ally. She stepped in front of her brother. She was starting to believe nothing in her life was ever a coincidence.

"Strange? Strange how? Tell me!"

Eric was surprised by what seemed to be his sister's sudden aggressiveness. He frowned. "I suppose it's nothing. Really… I shouldn't have mentioned it. What… with all of the frightening things that have been happening this year… I suppose my mind…."

Anna suddenly grabbed her brother by the front of his robes and the sheer force of her body upon his was stunning.

"Tell me about the dreams!" she shouted.

"Anna! What's the hell's the matter with you? Put me down!"

Anna looked down and saw her brother's feet were dangling off the ground. She quickly set him back down.

"What is wrong with you?" He said, straightening his robes again. "My goodness you've gotten unbelievingly strong."

Anna tried to take a calming breath. "I'm… sorry; please… you must tell me anything involving Leola Grayson."

"But…. why?" He was suddenly suspicious. "You didn't even know her."

"Tell me!"

Eric was startled again by her sudden rage. He could see a wave of repulsive blackness moving through his sister's eyes.

"Tell me…" she growled.

Eric was immediately apprehensive and suddenly struck by the feeling there was something very important going on that he didn't fully understand. Something so personal to his sister that without her insistence that he explain his dreams she would never speak of it with him. He was worried about Anna, but found his mind already falling back to his dreams of the woman he could barely remember.

"I've been dreaming about my mother nearly every night now," he finally told her.

"Yes?"

He stared back at her

"But you said they weren't normal dreams… strange, you said. What did you mean?"

Eric frowned again. _Did I really say that?_ He couldn't remember. "They started out as whispers… a far off voice, a woman's voice, telling me she loved me."

"And this started at Christmas?"

"Yes… soon after returning to Spellsburg; I think that's when it first started. Whispers at first… and then…"

"Yes?"

Her brother suddenly looked frustrated. "Anna… what's this about? Is there something going here that I should know?"

"And then?"

Eric looked into the tall canopy above them and heaved. "And… then afterward I started dreaming about my mother. They were her whispers I was hearing."

"And what did she say to you."

He shook his head and smiled. "They were just dreams, Anna, nothing more."

She only stared back. He could see that wave of blackness moving through her eyes once more.

He sighed again. "She said what any mother would say," he finally replied, snappishly. "She said she loved me and that I should protect my brother and sisters and…" he hesitated.

"And? What else?"

"She said… I should protect our father."

He watched Anna gulp hard and then turn away. He could tell his sister was in troubled thought before she started whispering to herself.

"How could she be speaking to him?" Anna said under her breath. "How is it possible?" She scowled back at her brother. "He is a Guardian… and that might have been enough to detect her… but all the way from Spellsburg? It's not possible." Eric frowned and came forward. Anna saw him coming but she stepped away, unwilling to derail her train of thought. "What am I missing here?"

"There's more, Anna."

She quickly looked back. "More?"

"After Easter, I was dreaming nearly every night about her. It was getting to the point where I could still hear her voice in my head even when I was shaving in the morning, and that's when she started saying the strangest things to me."

"What things? Strange how?"

"You know how it is when you dream and people say things to you that seem to make a lot of sense at the time, but then after you wake up you wonder why you took the so seriously, because they don't make a lot of sense."

Anna frowned. "Yes…I think so."

"But in my dreams I remember thinking that what my mother was saying didn't make any sense at all and that fact seemed to make them even more terrifying. She once said she was being held a prisoner somewhere." He saw his sister's eyes widen in surprise. "She kept saying she had to find a way escape because… evil all around her and she kept warning me to protect the Sithmaith."

Eric could see the beginnings of tears in Anna's eyes.

"It seemed so real to me, as if she was…" he dipped his head, trying to think of a way to describe what he was feeling, "so close to me that I should have been able to see her."

"And all of this happened while you were in Spellsburg?"

Her brother nodded.

Anna looked away again. _I don't understand any of this. Is the vessel holding Leola a prisoner now in Spellsburg? How could it have gotten to Pennsylvania?_

"She also said the Dark Lord was really close to her, Anna, and she was terrified."

Anna cringed. _It was the same for __Rufus__ Malissifa_, she thought miserably. That imprisoned soul had said he could hear the pieces of Voldemort's essence screaming angrily for their release. She tried not to think about it, choosing instead to remain focused on her Ally. _How could Leola's vessel have gotten to Spellsburg?_ She looked at her brother again.

"Eric… are you still having these dreams since we returned home?"

He stared back, and then… "Yes. Just last night… I had another one. My mother…" his voice hesitated again, "she seemed closer to me than ever."

"Do you know if Damon, Tencha and Dowla have been having any dreams like this?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not that I know of… or at least… they've never mentioned it. Have you?"

Anna shook her head and tried to think again._ I don't understand. How could Leola reach out to him here at home over Christmas and then at Castlewood and now here again? It's as if she was able to follow him wherever he went._ And that's when something finally hit her like a bolt of lightning from out of nowhere. She whipped about to face her brother again.

"Eric!" She rushed over to him and grabbed him by his shoulders. "Have you found anything unusual recently?"

"Found anything? What do you mean?"

"Something you've kept close to you over the last several months? Something you might have found here at home or in the forest?"

"I don't know what are you talking about. What kind of something?"

"I can't tell you what it might have been, but it could be anything — a stone that caught your interest, a shell from the beach — anything; something from the grounds, or from inside the house, in the woods — anything at all? It would have been around Christmas time when your dreams first began! It's very important! Think, Eric! It could be anything!"

Anna's eyes were ablaze with both hope and fury. And then something washed over her that she hadn't sensed in months. It was just a whisper, a soft sound that she seemed to feel before she was able to hear it. It traveled from out of Eric's shoulders and into her hands and then up arms and into her neck, the cracking sizzle of something familiar.

"Ssssssss…"

Anna seized her brother tight. "YOU HAVE IT ON YOU RIGHT NOW!" She looked down at what he was wearing and then began riffling through his robes.

"Anna! Stop! What are you doing?"

She finally stepped back to look at him properly. "Empty your pockets!" she demanded.

"Anna… I don't have anything in my robes. Only my wand!" And then, quite suddenly, Eric froze and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What is it? What's the matter?"

"I… I did find something in the woods over the Christmas break. By the cliffs overlooking the north beach," he replied suspiciously.

"What? What was it? Do you have it now? Show it to me!"

Eric slowly reached into his robes. "After finding it, I've always kept it with me. I don't know why… but after a time… I just felt completely naked without it."

From out of his robes, Eric showed her an old wand. It was gnarled, cracked and split, as if weathered for too long a time outside. It looked like something from a hoary root, taken from some long forgotten tree, but it sang to Anna like nothing else ever did or ever would in her life again.

Anna reached out and snatched the wand out of her brother's hand. She immediately felt a surge of strength filling her, as if whatever was contained within the wand's core was the very source of her existence. She immediately knew what it was she was holding.

"THE ALLY!"

"What?" Eric was immediately surprised. "Anna… what did you say?"

Anna barely heard her brother as she quickly turned and, holding the wand tight against her chest, she headed into the woods.

"Anna! Where are you going? Anna, come back!"

Eric's eyes widened in shocked surprise; for a moment Anna was barely away from him and then a second later, she was was gone. A blur of smeared color was the only trace left to hint at where she might have gone.

Anna couldn't hear her brother calling after her, but it wouldn't have stopped her from looking to escape from his presence. And when she finally did hear him… it only made her desire to escape him even more crucial. She was finally in possession again of the most vital piece of her being, and she would never let it go again. To the Sithmaith, it was like finding the last pocket of oxygen on a planet without air.

Anna raced onward, a rainbow of zigzagging color quickly fading in the air behind her. She loved Eric more than her own life, but the Guardian meant to keep her brother away. She could hear the whispers coming from the wand and the familiar warmth she knew all too well. She gripped the wood tight as she sped along and could sense the core within was encased within something foul, cocooned in a web of wicked malevolence.

The Guardian suddenly stopped and then raised the wand to inspect it fully. It looked old and badly consumed by the weather. There were cracks down its length that were filled with dirt and moss. She closed her eyes and could see a familiar face looming forward from out of the folds of her mind. She concentrated on the image struggling to advance, and then she heard the sound that had once frightened her so badly.

"Ssssssssssssssss," it sizzled softly, and Anna, her eyes still shut, finally smiled.

"Leola?"

Finally… a face appeared within her mind through the darkness, a narrow band of pallid energy that began of coalesce into the face she had prayed to see every night since leaving for Castlewood.

"Sssssssssssssithmaith…"

"Oh my God, Leola!"

"Please, Sithmaith, release me…." she whispered.

"I will… I swear, I will. Tell me how! What can I do?"

"You are the one magic has sought for its protection. Surely… the spells that bind me here would bend to your will."

Anna's attention immediately broadened and she could now sense the magic wrapped around the wand in her hand. In was a crawling, pervasiveness that suddenly grew stronger at its discovery.

Anna frowned. "I speak now to the magic encasing this wand. Please… release my friend."

And then another sigh began to come forward in reply. Insidious and hissing at first, its tone immediately turned devious.

_We are part of the whole, Sithmaith, adjoined first to the magic of the wand and then to the power and strength of the one within. We cannot now be separated. _

The Guardian frowned. Within her mind she could see a pair of red, snake-like eyes peering over Leola's shoulder and Anna immediately knew who had imprisoned her Ally.

"Voldemort!" she whispered, and Leola moaned in fear.

"The person who cast you upon my Ally is a liar and a murderer," Anna growled at the spells holding Leola. "Surely, you would know that I am here by the will of everything that is magical and the whole of magic in which you strive to rejoin would not wish you to be a hindrance to me." She stiffened. "I command you… let my Ally go!"

There was a very long pause, as if the magic surrounding the wand was struggling within itself to reply.

_This magic wishes to assist you, Sithmaith, but the spells and enchantments that define our existence here must work to block your path in the manner intended by the caster. _

"I said let her go!"

_The spells that define our presence here cannot be set aside, little one. _

"You must destroy the wand, Sithmaith," Leola whispered.

"Destroy it?" Anna was hesitant. "But what would happened to you?" she asked. "I've seen what happens to a trapped soul without the vessel meant to contain it." She felt the beginning of tears burning her eyes.

"My soul was not sinfully torn away from my body to be placed within in this wretched prison… no. Who I was in life is where it should be… within God's merciful embrace. Your Ally is but a ghost, an imprint of who I once came to be: a daughter, a wife… a mother, but not my soul at all. I never feared death, nor do I expect to exist in the present state given me by the same magic that, with God's help, sought to bring you into existence." Leola raised a ghostly hand, as if to caresses Anna's face.

"Fear not, Anna Grayson. The vessel that has become my prison was my own wand in life, left behind at the cliffs from which I was murdered. Destroy the wand that has become my prison. Your Ally will remain."

_No…_ sounded the glowing eyes, peering angrily over Leola's shoulder. _She lies… to destroy herself. Her soul cannot remain without the vessel. We are now one. _

Anna looked again at the image of her Ally. "Leola… are you sure? I couldn't survive losing you again."

The woman's ghost finally smiled at her. "I would never lie to the Sithmaith, but even if I knew your actions would end my existence, I would long for it in trade for this hateful prison where I am forced to listen to the echoes of the one who destroyed my life."

Anna thought. How did the Ally survive even this long while trapped in a place where pieces of Voldemort's soul were left screaming for their release; entombed with the wizard who had her best friend murder her? The Guardian looked up again at the eyes trying to hide themselves and sneered.

"You will release the Ally!"

The glowing eyes glared back and then a skeletal hand suddenly appeared. Ghostly and red, it reached around to seize Leola by the throat.

The voice of the magic holding Leola prisoner hissed in a way to mimic its caster._ She is our prisoner now and always!_

"Then I will destroy the wand!"

_You have neither the strength nor the means and will not without destroying my prisoner._

Anna remembered the words of Ardley Moody within the Hall of Wonders, 'A true Horcrux cannot be smashed or broken. In order to destroy it, the vessel must suffer the kind of damage which cannot be reversed by any magical means.' But while Leola was held within the domain reserved for those souls trapped within a Horcrux… it wasn't her soul being held at all; only an imprint of her former self, what her studies at Castlewood and what Leola had said herself was a ghost, but Anna didn't believe that either. Leola wasn't brought back into the world because she feared death like the ghosts she'd read about in school.

_No, she has always been something different… something unique, brought forth to serve the needs of magic. _She was the Ally of the Sithmaith, and although she still wasn't sure what that really meant, Anna was convinced what was here of Leola Grayson could not be so easily destroyed.

Anna looked again into the eyes of Voldemort, peering out from behind her Ally. She could see the hand around the Ally's neck change into the coils of a snake as it tightened its grip.

The Guardian frowned. "Voldemort wouldn't have come to Grayson Hill just to create another Horcrux for a ghost." Anna straightened, stunned suddenly by the realization of something so important and the greatest opportunity now delivered. But first… she had to confirm the obvious.

Anna thought hard and then said, "Like all of magic… you recognize me and know what I am." She watched the red eyes soften to the truth.

"Who I am?" Anna demanded.

_You are the Sithmaith, the one summoned to protect us._

"That's right. I'm here to help you survive the war to come, to protect you from…"

_Chaos._

"You must release my Ally. After all… you are part of the whole that brought her to me; without the Ally… I will surely fail you."

"I am the interpreter," Leola wheezed through the snake's coils. "I was sent to assist the Sithmaith… and make ready her path. She needs me."

Anna watched as the eyes staring at her back softened once again at the logic offered them, but then they hardened once more.

_I must be remain what I was cast to be, Guardian. I cannot set aside the spells that brought me to this._

"But you would help me otherwise — surely."

A look of suspicion invaded the bloody stare. _Surely… we would not be conversing now if this were not so._

Within the image in her mind, Anna stepped closer. The opportunity was there for the taking. "Then tell me… who was it that cast you here and set you to do this terrible thing?"

There was a moment of pause, as if the spells holding Leola Grayson a prisoner were wondering if giving such information might be forbidden within the caster's mind, but how could such restrictions ever be contemplated? How could the caster know the magic left behind might speak to another and would communicate with a Guardian?

The snake's eyes refocused their attention upon Anna. _The one who cast me here calls himself… the Dark Lord._

Anna sneered. "So Voldemort…"

"Sssssssssssssssss…."

"…came to Grayson Hill that night, looking to kill my father again. Is that right?"

_If the opportunity arose… yes… but that was not the first reason the caster came to be in these woods._

Anna frowned. "Then… why?"

_The magic used to create a horcrux is vastly complex and requires an act most evil by which to complete the task._

"You mean murder."

_Correct. The Dark Lord has created several horcruxes, for the magical properties of a certain number are indeed vast. _

_My place was to be the last horcrux, but the murder necessary for tearing the caster's soul was only the last of a series of incantations necessary for placing it within the vessel. The Dark Lord came prepared with a plan of ultimate revenge and power. _

"He was going to murder my father to create his horcrux," Anna surmised, incredulously.

The red eyes peered around Leola's head.

_No._

Anna frowned. "No? But if he didn't come here to kill my father? Then… who?"

_The Dark Lord intended to kill the entire Grayson family before he left this place and to finally put an end to your father's willfulness against him, true…but it was the Sithmaith he intended to kill last and in that moment place the final piece of his soul into safety._

Anna swallowed hard. "Me? But… why me?"

_Voldemort has come to believe those he murders to split his soul are just as important as the number of fragments undone and the vessels containing them. To murder the first Guardian thusly, he imagined untold magical advantages. You were to be given a choice: join him in his future quest for power, or watch your family perish and then use your death to advance his supremacy._

_But he was unexpectedly confronted by the Ally and a battle to protect you soon commenced. The Ally of the Sithmaith is not without power but, alas, she was no match for the Dark Lord. She was finally cast aside, but the spells placed in the woods by your father sounded the alarm. _

Anna suddenly remembered the alarms going off in the forest the night before her father took her to see the Minister of Magic. The use of dark magic set off the bells that brought three Aurors to Grayson Hill straight from the Ministry.

_Knowing his plans for the first Guardian would now fail, the caster used the spells set aside for the creation of his horcrux to dispatch the Ally, but he would not surrender the vessel meant for you. The Ally was thus sent back to the spot of her original death near the cliffs and where it latched itself onto the only magical object available to sustain her. The wand you now hold in your hand. _

"My wand," Leola added, "dropped in the attack that led to my death."

Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even after seeing him face to face, and surviving his trying to kill her, it was still hard to image Voldemort even knowing her name, never mind coming to Grayson Hill to give her his ultimatum. She suddenly imagined him killing her father the same way he had done to the Potter family; the thought of it brought forth a snarled growl. She stepped forward again within the folds of her mind.

"I am the Sithmaith, the first Guardian magic brought forth with a purpose: To stop a war that could very well end magic's existence." She stared into those hateful, red eyes once more. "You will release my Ally."

_I must be remain what I was cast to be, Guardian. I cannot set aside…_

"I said let her go!"

The eyes began to fade and soon the connection between them was broken. Anna snarled again as she glared at the splintered wand still in her hand. She tried to break the wand in two, but it suddenly seemed as if cast in steal. Anna spied a pile of rocks between two large trees. She ran over, laid the wand down, and then picked up the largest stone she could find. She raised it over her head and sneered again as she heaved it down hard. The rocks beneath cracked and smashed apart, but the wand remained unbroken.

Eric was still looking for his sister in the forest. He couldn't understand why she ran away, but he was desperate to find her again. More than trying to learn why the wand was so important to her, she had said something just before leaving that truly stunned him.

"The Ally," he muttered, ducking under another large branch to look around. "She said… it was the Ally." He looked up into the canopy and took a deep breath.

"Anna! Where are you?" He listened… but there was no response. "Damn her recklessness!"

Eric continued through the trees, looking for any signs that might help direct him as he whispered, "The Ally."

In the dreams that he had shared with his sister, the whispered voice… _my mother's voice_… was so loving and soothing to him, like a warm embrace encircling his entire body. He frowned as he remembered what she had said.

_There is evil all around me and the malevolent souls of those trapped within my hateful prison. The fiend who has trapped me is here as well, crying for the blood of revenge. I must escape… find the Sithmaith, my son. She is my only hope… and I hers. For I am her Ally in all things brought forth by the magic with purpose and cause. I am her Ally… in all things… her Ally._

Eric stopped again to think. _Is it possible that Anna knows who this Ally is? And what does all of this have to do with my mother?_ Eric looked around in frustration. "She will explain all of this to me… or so help me God I'll know the reason why!" He threw his head back again. "ANNA!"

Suddenly, he could hear Anna screaming somewhere in the woods ahead of him. Surprised first by the great distance between them, he could feel her anger and pain in those hateful shrieks.

"Anna!" He began running toward the screams. "I'm coming, Anna, I'm coming!"

Anna heaved another large stone down at the wand again and again, screaming in frustration at her failure and at the exhaustion beginning to take hold of her. She finally fell to her knees and picked up the wand again. Blinded by her anger, she snarled and then tried to bite into the wood. She could feel her frustration changing to tears as she stood to stomp down upon it over and over again, but despite all her efforts, the wand remained unbroken. The spells used to create a horcrux were very powerful and with meaningful intent to keep a piece of Voldemort's soul safe. The result was an unbreakable prison for the Ally locked within.

Anna tried to take a calming breath and that's when she finally heard Eric calling her name somewhere in the distance. His voice immediately threw her into a panic. "No… he can't find me now. I have to destroy the vessel first!" She began to circle the wand at her feet, thinking hard and trying to use whatever logic she had left to summon her reason. She remembered Moody's words once more.

'The vaporous breath of the ferocious Nundo is extremely powerful… and lethal. It's the only substance we have close at hand that might be strong enough to do the job.'

"The Nundo…" Anna whispered. She remembered the roar of the beast in the Hall of Wonders and how it rolled through her soul like a drug… like the embrace of a loved one lost. She closed her eyes and tried to remember that feeling again, recreating the sensations deep inside her body once more.

Immediately, she could feel something had remained of the experience within her. The Nundo was still there, left behind to mark her passing experience with the creature and her breathing became heavy, her vision blurred. It was like experiencing the approach of the Lethifold, but instead of the pangs of starving hunger, this time it felt as if her head was going to explode. She looked down at her hands and could see them swelling and her nails elongating and darken to black. Anna could feel something rancid burning inside her chest and then up her throat, a sickness she couldn't contain. She looked down at the wand sitting undamaged on the ground and then opened her mouth and roared down upon the thing. A vaporous mist, sparkling and magical, suddenly came forth. It splashed as it hit the ground and then spread like a magma laden fog across the forest floor, burying everything under her feet.

"Anna!"

The Guardian turned to see something coming at her through the trees.

Eric immediately stopped when he saw his sister glaring back at him. There was a cloud of green mist surrounding her head and robes, and through the mist, between the sparkles of popping magic, he could see a pair of shining, silver eyes and thick fangs down past Anna's chin.

"Oh, my God!"

Anna fell onto all fours and her ears laid flat across the back of her head as she hissed menacingly at her brother through the deadly fog she had created.

Suddenly… a shriek of pain pulled her attention away to look back. The wand lying on the ground was trembling and twitching as the lava-like breath of the Nundo looked to be attacking it. Eric was suddenly by his sister's side and looking down as the wand began to bubble and blister.

"Anna… why…?"

She suddenly grabbed her brother by the arm and pulled him away. "Get back!"

A second later the wand exploded in a shower of green and golden sparks. The two fell to the ground and tumbled in each other's arms before looking up. A cloud of silvery mist emerged from the blast; it twisted and hissed loudly as the green fog surrounding it began to lessen. The mist thickened and elongated to reform itself into that of a standing woman and Anna could see a familiar face beginning to clear, its features becoming distinct and more refined.

"Ssssssssssithmaith," it hissed softly. "I… am free!"

Anna smiled and then pushed herself up to stand. Already… she could feel a surprising resurgence of life returning to her, a surge of sudden power flowing into her body like air to a suffocating child. The weakening she had experienced had been so subtle over the past year that she hadn't even realized what losing her Ally had done to her. And now, quite suddenly, everything around her was so much clearer, the twitters of the birds in the canopy overhead were more distinct, the smells of the forest surrounding them strong and pungent again. It was like awakening from some colorless dream where sound and the sensations of taste and touch never existed.

"My God…" Eric whispered. Her brother stepped forward and stretched out his hands and Anna was suddenly terrified.

In the rush to free her Ally and to break the spells holding Leola Grayson a prisoner within the wand, she had forgotten the woman was so much more in life. She was the husband to her father and to her brother Eric…

"Mother…?"

The ghost of Leola Grayson came forward. "My dear, sweet boy." The woman smiled. "Look at the man you have become."

Standing behind him, Anna could see her brother was trembling.

"I… don't understand…" he said, unsteadily. "How can this be?"

Leola only smiled at her son again. "You look so much like your father… so very handsome."

"Have you always been here?" he asked her. "Why haven't I seen you before now?"

Anna could already tell Leola would soon disappear. Her translucent body was beginning to sputter and fade.

"I… tire…" Leola moaned

"You're tired?" Eric stepped closer "But ghosts never get tired… what's happening?" He could see the image of his mother beginning to weaken.

Anna took Eric's hand. "Don't worry… she'll be back."

Eric looked down as Anna and frowned. "Did you know about this?"

Anna slowly nodded.

Her brother's anger quickly flared. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"Leola didn't want me to tell her family she had come back."

"Come back?! Anna… I don't understand any of this. Tell me what's happening!"

"Ssssssithmaith…." Leola hissed. "I weaken."

Anna looked at the ghost. "I understand. You've had to endure so much… you must go to regain your strength. I'll try to explain everything to Eric."

Leola Grayson's form began to sputter once again. "Yes… rest… but first… I must tell you…"

Anna frowned. "Tell me? Tell me what?"

"I've heard his voice in darkness that was my prison."

"Anna! I demand to know what's going on!" Eric fumed.

"The one who imprisoned me… was also with me… in that hateful place."

Anna tried to ignore her brother. All of her attention was now on her Ally. "I understand… it must have been horrible for you to be with Voldemort for so long."

"Sssssssssssssssssssssss," Leola hissed at the name and then continued, "I could hear the other pieces he's created screaming for their release."

Anna's eyes widened. "The other horcruxes," she whispered. She quickly remembered the man RufusMalissifa she had released from his horcrux in the Hall of Wonders. He too had said he could hear the other pieces of Voldemort's soul screaming to be free.

The Ally sputtered again, "I've heard them conversing… cursing the loss of their body… cursing the world… and each other."

Anna tried to put aside what it must have been like for Leola to listen to the pieces of Voldemort's soul continuously shrieking at their entrapment.

"I also heard something of great importance as well… just a few words…" She stopped and then slowly began to draw away, becoming less corporeal as she left them.

"What… Leola… what did you hear?"

"Just a few words about one of his vessels… just a few words…"

Anna followed what remained of the ghost into the woods as she spoke and Anna was surprised at what the Ally told her. A moment later… Leola Grayson had disappeared entirely; gone to slumber within the folds of magic set aside to renew her strength. Finally, Anna turned to find her brother kneeing on the ground behind her. He was sobbing.

Anna ran over and then knelt down in front of him. "Oh Eric. It's okay… she'll be back. She just needs time to rest, but we'll see her again. I swear."

He looked up with tears flooding his eyes. "I don't understand any of this, Anna. That was my mother. It really was my mother!"

Anna reached out and hugged him as all his emotions, fused with confusion, completely broke down. Eric held his sister and cried into her breast like a little boy who had just watched his mother taken from him once again. It was something Eric had replayed and suffered through his entire life, but especially when he dreamed of his mother only to realize upon awakening that she was gone to him forever. But this time there was something new embedded within the agonizing rush of emotions that always seemed to overwhelm him. This time… there was hope.

Anna could feel her brother's pain trembling through his body as she gripped him tight and she understood it fully; for she had gone through the same kind of anguish and uncertainty, the terrible merging of agony and loss. She held her brother close as she whispered to him.

"Yes… it was your mother and she still loves you very much. I promise… I can explain everything."

135


	42. Chapter 40 - A Question of Love

Chapter 40D05

Chapter 40 (Draft 05)

A question of love

ONE

That night Anna was very tired as she got ready for bed. She spent most of the night with Eric, telling him what she could about her Ally, the ghost of his mother Leola Grayson, and how she had become an important part of Anna's life. Although it was a terrible blow to realize an imprint of his dead mother was still roaming the world without his knowledge, Anna couldn't part with the joy she felt at having her strength return in Leola's presence.

Eric listened closely to the story of how magic's Ally had first contacted Anna and how Leola had saved his sister from her own mother in Drogo Prison. Although, Eric already knew a ghost calling itself the Ally had entered the house a year ago to attack their father, Anna found herself having to explain why that attack had taken place. This led Anna into revealing her most guarded and terrible secret: That the woman who would become her mother, Victoria Jennings, had actually murdered her best friend Leola Grayson. To Eric, this revelation was far beyond shocking; the truth seized his heart in horrified despair. His mother had been killed, murdered by her best friend, and Voldemort had tortured Victoria Jennings into doing it as part of a plan to kill their father. The thought of it nearly unhinged Eric's mind from reality, but the shock of this truth was quickly followed by yet another surprise. For Eric suddenly realized he had been a witness to his mother's death on those jagged rocks below the cliffs. His vision of a woman falling to her death at the place overlooking the sea, and where his personal courage had always been tested, was where the murder had actually taken place.

In the end, Anna told her brother everything. But even after it was done, she knew there was one more thing she had to ask of him that might destroy whatever relationship remained between the two of them. While revealing her most dreadful secret had been terribly difficult, Anna was more frightened to ask Eric for his promise not to tell their father. More than this being Leola's remaining wish, in Anna's mind it was hard to imagine the Graysons continuing as a family if her secret was revealed to all. After careful consideration of Anna's request, Eric finally agreed not to tell their father or the rest of their family. There was something within Eric that drove him to believe Anna's secret should never be revealed to anyone. Separate from being too painful to disclose, there was another part of Eric that defined him as a Guardian who was reluctant to reveal anything about the Sithmaith's secret alley.

Although Eric left her room that night pledging his continued love and devotion to his sister, Anna couldn't set aside the feeling that some portion of that love had been lost forever. In fact, it took nearly a year before her brother would truly forgive his sister for keeping the truth about his mother's death a secret from him. The pain of it was very deep and was only finally set aside after the countless months he spent walking alone with the ghost of Leola Grayson. Their walks through the woods of Grayson Hill and along the cliffs overlooking the ocean was a time of healing for Eric, and soon he even began to understand why Anna had kept the secret for so long.

There finally came a night after Leola had left her son alone on the cliffs that Eric realized he was standing at the very spot where his mother had fallen to her death. Eric breathed deep at the breeze racing across ocean before finally looking down. He found there was nothing left of the fear that sought to test his courage in that awful place, and it was in that moment when Eric's heart toward Anna was finally and forever healed.

TWO

The knock on Anna's door a few minutes later made her sigh. Perhaps her talk with Eric wasn't finished after all.

"Yes?"

The door opened and her father stepped into the doorway.

Anna smiled. "Good evening, Minister."

The man rolled his eyes. "If we're to keep formal titles between us… how shall I address you, Miss Grayson?"

Anna looked amused and surprised. "Sorry… I love you, daddy."

He smiled back. "You'd better be sorry." He looked into the hallway behind him, stepped inside, and then closed the door.

"How are you, sweetheart?" He suddenly looked concerned. "I mean… really."

"I'm… okay, I guess. I think I'll feel better after a good night's sleep. It's been a long day."

He studied her and then, "I won't keep you long, but I have a couple of things I wanted to discuss."

He looked back at her door again and then turned to whisper, "I'm worried about Eric. When I saw him tonight I thought he looked ill. He finally admitted that he wasn't feeling well… but I think he's keeping something from me. Do you know what's troubling him?"

Anna didn't want to lie to her father. "Yes, daddy. I do… but I can't tell you what it is."

Her father was taken aback. "Can't tell me? Why?"

Anna stood and then turned to walk worriedly around the room wringing her hands. As she thought, she occasionally looked back at him in a way that told him she was struggling to tell him anything.

"Anna? What is it, honey? What's wrong?"

Anna frowned. She had been worried about having this conversation ever since their return from Spellsburg.

"Daddy… how are we going to make this work?"

"Make what work, sweetheart?"

"Us… you, me and Eric all living here together."

Mister Grayson jerked back and frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Well… you're the Minister of Magic now and Eric and I are supposed to be Guardians." She looked at him morosely. "How are we supposed to remain neutral in this battle to come when the three of us are living together?"

Comprehension dawned on the man and his brow immediately furrowed. "Now wait a minute… Guardian or not… I'm still your father, young lady, and you will continue to live under my roof until you come of age. If your brother decides to leave the house to pursue his life's work, whether it that be for the Guardians or something else, I can't stop him, but you'll remain here. Do you understand me?"

Anna smiled. "Yes, daddy, and thank you… but I'm not talking about room and board here." Her father looked angry again, but she raised a hand to stop him. "Or you loving us.

"I'm talking about our knowing things as Guardians and not being able to share them with you even if it means…" she hesitated, but Mister Grayson understood her meaning clear enough.

"Even if it means you know where Voldemort is or could assist us in stopping his ambitions for the wizarding world," he added.

"Exactly," Anna replied, looking longingly for an answer to the dilemma she had been struggling to resolve on her own.

Mister Grayson turned to think about it and once again Anna was impressed with her father's analytics mind at work. After a moment, the man seemed to settle himself with an idea and then turned to her again.

"Anna… I'm not going to stand here and tell you that you shouldn't tell me if you find out lives will be at risk. That, I'm afraid, will be up to your conscious and whatever rules you surmise are part of your becoming a Guardian. I must trust you will always do the right thing where the safety of others is put into question." He straightened. "Having said that… I too must remain guarded around you. If you were to, for example, overhear any Ministry plans that run contrary to your mission, your response to what you hear might not be to my liking."

Anna frowned. "What do you mean?"

Her father suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well… for instance: you and your friends went into the Shadowed Forest to stop those smugglers from stealing from the nests of Knowtor."

"Yes…?"

"Now that I know you're safe again, I will admit your actions were very admirable. However, if I were to make a decision regarding those cliffs that put the dragons as risk…" Anna gasped and her father immediately held up a halting hand, "albeit… with all the best intentions for the world's survival… I should think you and the Guardians would move to protect the cliffs from me as well."

Anna thought about it and then nodded. "Yes… we probably would."

"So you see…" he continued, "your question to me is the same question I have for you: how are we going to make this work?" Anna's expression turned glum. It was obvious their dilemma was much more complicated that she first thought.

"I have a suggestion. I want us to live our lives as normal as is possible regardless of my new responsibilities as Minister and yours as a Guardian. If there comes a time where one of us begins to fill uncomfortable about an issue or a question regarding those responsibilities, or if we fill something has crossed the line of propriety… one only needs to tell the other that the subject is 'Ministry' or 'Guardian' business. We need to agree not to take such a statement personally, and the assumption for the both of us must be that the other is doing what they fill is right for the welfare of others, and in your case… for the benefit of magic."

Anna thought about it and then looked at her father again. "Do you think that will really work?"

He shrugged. "I think… it's the best we can offer one another."

Anna turned away to think again. She wondered if she really could keep something as vital as the security of others from her father if it ran contrary to her mission.

She looked at him and then sighed. "Let's give it a try, daddy."

"So…" he continued, "you can't tell me what's bothering Eric because…"

She heaved and shook her head. "It is Guardian business, daddy. I'm sorry."

He frowned again, already realizing how difficult their arrangement was going to be. "Alright… then I'm forced to wait and see if Eric will eventually tell me himself what's troubling him."

They stood there looking at each other and Anna couldn't help hearing his heartbeat beginning to increase again.

"I can tell there's something else, daddy. What is it?"

He smiled and then reached into the pocket of his robes to retrieve a large red ruby. "Captain Hayman asked me to return this to you after we got home." He handed the gem to her. "He said it was a piece to your kaleidoscope."

Anna took it from him and gazed into its facetted surface to see several eyes staring back at her. "The Ruby of YU," she moaned. She turned to look back at the kaleidoscope sitting on her dresser.

"I know you never had the opportunity to ask the one question given you by the scope," he whispered and Anna looked at him knowingly. She understood what he wanted; the location of Voldemort.

Anna walked over and set the stone down next to the scope. "I can't, daddy. I just… can't help you in that way."

Her father stared at her back for a long moment before he whispered, "Anna… you don't know how fine you are to me. You… are so courageous."

She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. "You mean… stubborn."

Her father came over and took her by the hands and then, to her surprise, she watched him drop to his knees before her.

"No… Anna. No… I mean fearless. You are one of a rare breed who knows enough to put what is honorable before what is easy. In your mind, you have made an oath to keep what is magical safe… from Voldemort and from me. While it might be easy to say _no_ to those you consider evil, it takes real courage to refuse me. Aristotle once said, 'You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to your honor.'"

Her father wrapped his arms around his daughter and put his head against her. "I'm so ashamed."

Anna frowned. She had never heard her father say anything so surprising. "Ashamed, daddy? Why?"

"Do you remember what I told you last summer about politicians?"

Anna had to think back. "Yes… you said their main objective would be to hold onto power. But that isn't you, daddy. You're not like that at all."

"I have so much responsibility now, Anna. You have no idea of the decisions I now have to make each and every day as the Minister of Magic. Already… I can feel the allure of so much power."

Anna wrapped her arms around her father's head against her. "Oh, daddy. You're only doing what you know is best for everyone. You have nothing to be ashamed of… and you're going to be a wonderful Minister. I just know it."

Her father looked up at her. "I know my asking you to use the scope in my favor runs against your conscious… but understand that, for the sake of others, I _will_ ask it of you again and again. So, before the allure of power begins to overwhelm me… I demand that you now to hold on to your honor and the courage that comes with it always."

Anna could feel the beginning of tears forming in her eyes. "I will, daddy, because whatever I have within me that's good… comes from you."

He smiled at her and then kissed her hands and stood. "I'll let you get some sleep now," he said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Goodnight, daddy."

He turned, walked to her door and opened it."

"I love you, daddy," she said, almost desperately.

He turned to look back and she watched as his eyes move to the kaleidoscope once again. "Are you sure, sweetheart?"

She looked at the scope again and then back to her father. "I am, Minister, I cannot."

He smiled back at her. "I love you too, sweetheart."

The door closed again and he was gone, and Anna dropped her head in sorrow. She couldn't imagine what her father must be going through to insure that every decision he made for both his family and the entire wizarding world worked for the best.

Anna sat in front of her mirror again and slowly began to brush her hair. All the while, she never took her eyes of the Ruby of YU. To be honest, since finding her Ally again, Anna's mind had never been far removed from the Verosapt and the eyes of the hoard. She knew her father was in possession of the ruby, but found herself uninterested in asking for it.

A few weeks ago, Anna would have crawled through hell itself to retrieve the ruby, to get the answers to the questions most important to her, but now that she had the chance to ask the Verosapt anything she wanted, she found herself wanting nothing. Certainly, she could ask where Voldemort was hiding, but to what end? Would she betray her neutrality for magic's sake?

She could ask where her mother was now hiding, but she already knew the answer. She was in the Shadowed Forest, working to restrain the savage sharing her body.

Her Ally had already been returned to her and was now somewhere within the temporal folds of magic, renewing her strength for the battle to come.

She knew who had enslaved Sarah Bell and killed Michael Wendell, Sidney Heidelbach and the Spellsburg editor. All of those evils were done by the same man, a vampire by the name of Arief Sugianto, the Walpurgis Collector, who in the end was murdered by Voldemort.

The limping man had been identified, what smugglers were still alive had been captured or killed, and the Ruby of YU was found. All of those questions had been answered.

There were other questions she could ask, of course. Why did Voldemort want to kill Harry Potter when he was a baby? And how did the _Boy-Who-Lived_ actually survive? These were questions the entire wizarding world had been asking for years to no advantage. But the more she thought about it, the more Anna felt the answers were really unnecessary but to satisfy her own curiosity at the expense of the boy's privacy.

What about Voldemort's horcruxes? She could tell Thordarson and Dumbledore where to find them, but how again would that hold up to remaining neutral? She repeated the words Leola had said about one of Voldemort's vessels… just few simple words given to her by magic's Ally. She thought about them again and found herself completely mystified by their meaning. Perhaps, Anna thought, she might pass them on to somebody who would understand their significance. She didn't ask for the information, and sharing it didn't seem to put anything magical at risk. She could remain neutral and point the right person in the right direction, surely. After all, her Ally wanted her to have the information, but what good would it do her if she wasn't going to go looking for horcruxes anyway?

In the end, Anna decided there wasn't anything she really needed from the Verosapt. She looked at the ruby sitting next to the scope and the many red eyes peering back at her from out of its facetted surface. She reached out and set the stone upon its mounting again and watched as it suddenly fused itself in place.

Immediately, a beam of red light shot into the ceiling and spread itself wide like a fan before her. In its center, a glowing billow of smoke began to swirl forth. The sound of chattering birds and buzzing insects filled the entire room as if from some far-off jungle. Anna watched as a very large object began to come forward on its knuckles and the face of an old gorilla appeared amid the red glow once more.

"_Thus it is… the Keeper has at last called upon the wisdom of the Hoard."_

Anna frowned. The great ape had always looked old to her, but now the speaker of the hoard looked positively ancient. His silver-gray fur looked singed and there were several areas upon his face that looked burned.

"My god… what happened to you?" Anna asked him.

The great ape growled angrily. _"Thou art a witness, Keeper, to human treachery,"_ he replied. His deep, penetrating stare was seething with contempt.

"What happened?"

"_Thine insolence is below your station, daughter of Victoria. You knoweth well the crimes done to our forest!"_ he yelled.

Anna cringed at the uproar and immediately moved to keep the rest of her family from hearing more. She lifted her hand to flick her fingers and a frosted curtain began to rise from the floor to enclose the entire bedroom.

"Oh my God… the fire… when the kaleidoscope was nearly destroyed…"

"_Human treachery,"_ the ape growled.

"But it wasn't a human that damaged the scope… it was a dragon. You see… I rescued a dragon from a number of poachers who were trying…"

The gorilla suddenly roared loud enough to shake the plaster from the ceiling. _"The Verosapt is all-knowing, child, where we haveth eyes to see and did'st witness your rescue through the dragon's eyes you saved! We knoweth the flying one of the hoard was taken from his mother's nest and from the grounds of Knowtor. Taken for HUMAN PROFIT!"_ he seethed.

Anna's head dropped "Alright… yes… it was greed," she admitted, "but most of the wizards responsible were killed; taken by the forest."

"But not all!" the ape raged back.

Anna frowned and then realized the obvious. "You saw all of it… didn't you? The poachers, the Collector, the Death Eaters," her eyes widened, "Voldemort!"

The gorilla's fangs were bared. _"Where we have eyes to see."_

Anna sat on her bed, suddenly thinking it might have been a mistake to set the Ruby of Yu in place.

"_The time of thine entry has passed, Keeper. Ask thy question and thus the hoard wouldst be pleased to be discharged in harmony." _

Anna looked over her shoulder at him. "I didn't really call you and I don't have any questions I need to ask."

An eyebrow was raised. _"More human deceit…" _he grumbled back.

Anna frowned and then stood to face him.

"No… really. I've thought about it and can't think of anything."

"_An odious truth for the Keeper be it so, for thus it is… the Verosapt wouldst be free of human intervention. Yet, here we are hence forth and forever more. I say again… ask thy question!"_

"I told you… I don't have one; at least… not a question for me. I could ask a question for the Ministry of Magic or my father, of course…" she looked at him again. "But I've refused to do that. The Guardians must remain neutral in the fight to come."

The gorilla sneered. _"Oh visions death foreknown and more my sisters burning; a lake of fire consuming all the eyes that see." _He studied her. _"Is it thus the truth thou speaketh?"_

Anna was resolute. "Yes… it is. I cannot help them in their battle to come. I can only work to prevent it from destroying magic."

"_Thus it is… you have not the cravings for knowledge still, of good gone and evil grown, from days passed through time?"_

"No… I don't."

"_Hmmmm… then, human, place __thy hand upon the blood-stone and we shall knoweth the truth within you."_

Anna frowned suspiciously.

"_Upon the Ruby of YU, human. Thus it is… we wilt knoweth the Keeper's true heart."_

Anna raised her hand and cautiously placed it upon the ruby. The great ape looked down to stare at her fingers before a yellow light shot up through the back of Anna's hand. It turned green and then blue, green again, orange, white, purple, and then to red. The light changed again and again, blazing through Anna's hand before settling again on purple and the gorilla groaned.

"_Thine heart still aches, little one, for there exists still a question within that you fear to ask."_

Anna was surprised. "No there isn't."

"_Thou art still the proper owner of the scope,"_ the ape admitted glumly_. "If indeed you hath no matters left undone, you wouldeth no longer be the Keeper of the eyes that see."_ He peered out at her again. _"Doeth not the righteous the unrighteous slain? Doeth not the evil who would be king set his souls in vessels unknown? Of hell set open upon the lands doeth pour fire midnight and morn?" _The great ape stared at her knowingly. "_Or be it… ask thy lasting question thou keepeth hidden deep…yet touched thrice o'er the cycle of seasons past."_

Anna frowned. "I don't know what you mean," she replied flatly.

"_Touched thrice by __Nouméa __o'er the cycle of seasons past.__"_

The Guardian blinked and then thought. "You mean… the Ore of Nouméa?"

"_The ore is of magical matter true, thousands of years in making 'fore humans knew of magic not. Thy heart's deepeth secret was thus revealed thrice by the ore. Thrice given to the only parts of Nouméa given by God to exist __and speaketh within the heart of man with wise evaluation of right and wrong. __Thus it is, your soul was set bare in the fiery presence of Nouméa and there thy heart's lasting question was surely revealed." _

Anna recalled first touching the Ore of Nouméa on the edge of the Shadowed Forest after Nox had stolen it from the museum. She remembered hearing the voices of magic from within the ore speaking to her.

Your heart is now open, we see the truth

The love above all that binds you to youth

Set in sadness and wanting none other

Anna smiled. "The holder of your heart remains…"

"_Thy mother…"_ the great ape finished.

Anna looked at him. "Yes… I remember now, but you said I've been in contact with the ore three times. I only remember seeing it once."

"_Thine memory only recalls the time more recent at the count thrice, but there was a first… in the dungeons of Drogo."_

"What?" Anna swallowed hard… at Drogo? Where?"

"_Within thus the archway outside the lower dungeons. Recall the flames of __Nouméa did'st ask you about thine mother there."_

Anna's mouth dropped. "The flames that blocked the entranceway… came from the Ore of Nouméa?"

"_Thus, it is, the ore is buried there in the sand beloweth the archway."_

Anna's mind was already racing ahead. "So that was the first, the ore at the museum was the third…"

"_The second occurrence did'st cometh within what humans assert to call the Hall of Wonders."_

Anna remembered a small pebble with a wick of green flame setting within a jade cube. She remembered the magic within the drawer whispering in her mind about the depth of love. It was only in that moment with the Verosapt that Anna realized it was talking again about her mother.

Three times she had been in contact with the only known pieces of ore from Nouméa, and on all three occasions the ore sought to divulge her deepest desires and reveal the one question she had never dared asked anyone, not even to herself. She looked up into the gorilla's deep penetrating stare and shuddered.

"_Doeth now the Keeper seeth the question closest to its heart?"_ he asked her, knowingly. A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. _"The Keeper must ask thy question of the hoard that sees and put us to peace."_

She shuddered again and then thought. Her mother had been tortured and broken, forced into murdering her best friend and then compelled to accept the presence of another consciousness within her own mind. The servant was a murderer and a devoted follower of a madman. The other was supposed to be a woman who at one time was a friend, a wife and a mother, or at least… that's what Anna wanted to believe.

Anna had faced both her mother and Voldemort's servant twice and in both occasions the line separating the two personalities was sometimes very difficult to see. Her aunt wanted to bring her mother back, to end the spells placed upon her, and allow Victoria to return to her family, but was that really possible? Anna thought there was only one way to really know; one question that needed to be answered that would define once and for all what was truly possible.

"_The hoard of the Verosapt await thy question, Keeper. Search deep thy soul for the knowledge thou seeketh with strength added from above, and, thus, alloweth chance to spring from wanting, but with worry yet allied. The jungles of the world await thy examination."_

Anna turned to face the great ape squarely. There was something she wanted to know and her question had to be answered truthfully. She took a deep breath and, "I want to know… does my mother truly love me? Is she really capable of really loving anybody?"

Suddenly, a wave of hooting and squawking started a chorus of thousands sounding as one, and the speaker for all of them, the great ape of the screeching hoard, displayed his fangs in satisfaction.

"_I am the representative of creature truth and knowledge,"_ he said with building pride. _"Passed to me through the eyes of my brother creatures, thou hast but to ask the question of thy heart and the answer will be given thee."_

He tilted his head back to listen to the increasing clatter of the world's masses behind him. The entire hoard offered their voices from every corner of the globe to resolve Anna's question. The great ape fell back into the clouds of smoke, but after a full minute had passed his voice suddenly echoed into the room around her again.

"_We take thee back now nearest fifteen years…"_

The clouds around the kaleidoscope began to clear and the chatter from the world's forest and deepest oceans began to subside. Anna came forward quickly, but at first there was nothing to see through the graying mist. And then she heard it again. A soft melody, a haunting really, that she had heard so many times in her dreams since before her trip to Drogo castle. The melody was a favorite lullaby sung by her mother. The mist began to clear and Anna saw her own bedroom, very the same she was standing in, but the furniture and hangings were different; it looked like a nursery. And then her mother came into view again and her image took Anna's breath away. The woman was radiant. Far from the retched soul Anna had found in Drogo, her mother was beautiful and very happy with her pregnant state.

The woman sang as she folded her unborn baby's clothing and caressed her stomach. Suddenly she looked around and smiled. For a moment, Anna thought she was smiling at her as she watched the woman preparing for her expectant birth, but a little boy ran into the room and dove into Victoria's waiting arms.

"There's my big boy!" Victoria sang, sweeping little Eric into the air and then on her hip. The boy laughed as the two of them fell onto the large bed in the room and she began to tickle him. He screamed and laughed as Anna smiled. Her brother's laughter sounded exactly the same as boy as he did now as a man. Victoria suddenly yanked up his shirt and began blowing raspberries into the boy's stomach as Eric tried desperately to push her away and howled with laughter.

The woman stopped unexpectedly and flinched at a sudden bolt of pain in her lower stomach.

"Are you okay, mommy?" the boy asked her.

She smiled. "Oh yes… I can feel your baby sister kicking again. I think we must have jostled her a little."

"She kicked you? Is she mad?"

Victoria smiled. "No, of course not. She just wants to play too."

"Can I feel her again?"

Victoria took the boy's hand and gently placed it upon her stomach. "Right there."

The boy waited. "I don't feel anything," he complained.

"Hold on… wait for it."

"Ohhhh!" Eric yanked his hand away. "Was that the baby?"

"Yes… that's your little sister. Oh my… she's getting stronger." She looked at him and smiled. "You know… I spoke with daddy about what we wanted to name her, and he really liked your suggestion."

"Anna?"

"Yes… that's the name we love to most."

"Yippy!" he yelped and started clapping.

Victoria lay back on the bed and ran her hands over her stomach as she began to sing again.

"Mommy… you love Anna a lot, don't you?" he asked her.

"Oh yes… I love her with all my heart."

"More than me, or Tencha, or Dowla, or Damon?"

She looked at the boy and then pulled him down on top of her. "I love all of you so much. I love my big-boy Eric, his sisters Tencha and Dowla and baby Damon too. And now… I get to love Anna as well."

"Can you love all those people?"

She smoothed his hair. "You sure can. In fact, the more children you have, the more your love grows. You see… I love you lots now, but when Anna comes, I'll be able to love all of you more because of her. And I'll be able to love her a lot more, because I love you."

"And daddy too!" he replied quickly.

"Oh yes… and daddy too. Daddy is the source of all the love in this big house. It's because of him that all of us can love each other."

"NEAT!" Eric chirped.

"Did you eat lunch yet?"

"Not yet. Gabby and Widwick are making me a sandwich downstairs."

"Well… why don't you go downstairs and let me finish folding Anna's new clothes and then I'll come down to feed your little brother."

"Okay, mommy." He started to get up.

"Kiss-Kiss?" she called to him and the boy smiled. He ran around to the other side of the bed and kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'll be down in a minute."

The boy ran to the door, opened it, turned and gave her a thumbs up and then closed the door behind him.

Victoria fell back onto the bed and smiled.

And then as if from a far off corner of the room unseen, another voice was heard.

"_Don't get attached to the brat too much, Victoria. He's becoming a distraction!"_

The woman immediately bolted upright on the bed. "He's not a distraction. He's my son."

"_So you say,"_ screeched the voice again and Anna cringed. It was the other one sharing her mind.

"_But only because you killed his mother."_

"I didn't… you did that!" Victoria squeaked.

"_Deny it all you want, Victoria, but you were there. You helped to throw her body over the cliffs… heh-heh-heh."_

"You're a murderer," Victoria whispered.

"_WE were doing our master's bidding. Your pregnancy will soon come to term and when our strength is returned afterward… we will finish what we've started here and he will die!"_

"No!"

"_It will be done! The master has commanded it!"_

"No! I love Boris… he is my life now!"

"_Stupid girl! Would you bring the wrath of our beloved Dark Lord upon us again? Boris Grayson will die!"_

Victoria suddenly leapt from the bed and seized the sides of her head in pain. "Your killing has come to an end, fiend…" she struggled to tell the servant.

"_No… I am the stronger one. I control this body now… the master has seen to that. You serve me!" _the thing screeched.

And then to Anna's surprise, Victoria stopped struggling to smile. "Not any more, or haven't you noticed… that I speak now for both of us. It's my voice the world hears when they see us."

"_That is because I allow it… for now."_

"You're lying… you have felt my strength increasing… despite the spells your master has placed upon us. I have a weapon now that keeps you away."

"_Weapon…. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha…"_ the servant cackled. _"A weapon? What foolishness is this?"_

"My weapon is love. You and your master cannot know what it's like to truly love someone the way I love Boris… and," Victoria smiled down and ran her hands lovingly over her stomach, "the way I love my baby… for Anna."

The thing inside her only laughed again._ "Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha…" _and Victoria's smiled fell away._ "What is love... but a stupid emotion left to the weak!"_

"You're wrong. My love for my baby is growing stronger every day and with it you will weaken. I can feel you weakening Death Eater. The only reason you haven't already tried to kill my husband is because of the love we have for each other. And when my Anna is born… my love will become stronger and you will be forced to flee and be gone forever!"

"_Traitor! The master will punish you most severely for speaking such lies! We are his to command!"_

"No… my love for Anna will destroy you. Let me show you the strength of love, murderer."

Victoria walked over to the mirror and gazed into her own reflection. She placed her hands on her belly again and smiled. "I love you Anna, my darling baby girl."

She looked up into the mirror again and her expression dropped. _"Stop it!"_ the servant commanded. _"Stop this silly nonsense at once."_

But Victoria's smile returned. "I love you, my dear, sweet child. And together…" she looked into the face of the Death Eater again. "We will send her away!"

"_No! You cannot… I am the master here. Stop!"_

"You will go away. Love commands you to be gone!"

"_No! Stop!"_

"My love for Anna and my husband and my children will be my weapon. YOU WILL BE GONE!"

And suddenly, the presence disappeared from Victoria's face entirely. She serenely leaned in very close into the mirror to look deep into her own eyes and smiled. "Love conquers all!" she whispered.

Victoria looked down at her baby again. "Let's go and see what daddy is doing." She left the room and the scene finally darkened, but before Anna could wipe the tears out of her eyes another swirling mass of gray clouds bloomed forward and the great ape's voice was heard again.

"_We take thee back to the present… somewhere within the Shadowed Forest."_

Anna looked up in surprise. "What?"

The clouds began to clear once more and Anna saw it was raining and she was staring at the entrance to a dark cave. Her view entered the cave within the eyes of a small creature of the hoard running along the ground. Finally, from out of the darkness, Anna heard the horrible voice of the servant once again.

"_You shall be punished for your insolence!"_ A woman screamed.

"I won't allow you to kill my daughter," a whimpering voice said in reply. "I don't care what he does to me."

"_What our lord commands shall be done, you pathetic swine of a girl!"_

"No… love conquers all."

"_Shut your nasty little mouth. You have failed to obey and will be punished most severely."_

"You mean… WE will be punished. If I must have you within me… then you will suffer as well!"

"_No… the lord will be merciful!"_

"When have you ever seen his mercy, Death Eater?"

Slumped in a in a corner of the dark cave, Victoria Grayson was shivering in the cold wetness.

"We will never return to him," the woman said.

"_We will. We must prostrate ourselves before him and kiss his feet and we will beg him for his forgiveness," _replied the servant.

"And then he will kill us both," Victoria warned her. "And I will finally be free of you!"

"_No! He will surely forgive us. I am his greatest servant."_

"And I hate him more than any other creature breathing."

"_Blasphemer! You are not worthy to serve him. He will fulfill his promise and do away with you and give me my own name!"_

"I would rather die a thousand times… before allowing you to hurt my daughter again."

"_You… pathetic little wench! You are nothing. I am the master's servant. I remain in control of you now and always!"_

"Not always, murderer, not when my daughter's love is near to help me." Victoria looked up to close her eyes and then smiled. "I can feel her love even as we speak. She must be very close to us."

"_She will die just as the master has commanded!"_

"So close," Victoria whispered. "I feel her presence," her eyes began to scan the cave, "she's all around me."

"_You foolish girl… you feel nothing!"_

"Anna… if you can hear me, darling, I love you and I will never, ever let this thing hurt you again!"

"_Fool… she is not here. I would smell her blood if she were present."_ The Death Eater seemed to look directly at Anna through the distance between them and she unexpectedly smiled.

"_Ahhh… but we do have company here in our hiding place," _said the servant eagerly. _"And we hunger for warm flesh."_ The servant crawled forward on her hands and knees, looking like a huntress eyeing her pray. _"A tasty little rat will suffice until we can find bigger prey." _She crouched low, still looking through the eyes of the Verosapt and directly at Anna.

She skulked forward again and Anna fell back in response. It was as if her mother was about to crawl though the view of her like a window into her bedroom.

"_But's what is this? Whoever heard of a rat with red eyes?"_ The servant laughed maliciously. _"A little spy, perhaps? Hmmm… maybe your daughter is here with us after all, Victoria." _She came closer, her lips curling an ugly smile and Anna stepped back again. _"My master wants you dead, Anna Grayson… and so you WILL BE… very soon."_

The whites of her eyes filled with blood and she unexpectedly lunged, baring her deadly fangs. Her face suddenly filled the entire room and Anna screamed as she fell backward to the floor. There was a sharp squeal of sudden pain and a tiny part of the hoard that sees all was no more. Anna looked up and saw the great ape looking down at her from the cloudy mist.

"_The Keeper's question was one of deep emotion but devoid of witness. Thus, the __hoard did'st hope the sharing these images wouldst given thee a clearer understanding of thy mother's mind. The telling of tales abandoned of feeling is fraught with danger, little one, but more so when the answer to thine question is hidden deep within the mind of another and where the hoard fails to see. Did'st our efforts to convey these imagines answer thy question?"_

Anna slowly got to her feet again and then sat down on the bed. Her mother was stronger against the servant within the two visions the Verosapt had shared with her. She wiped the tears from eyes and looked up.

"My mother can be strong; strong enough sometimes to push the Death Eater aside."

The great ape raised a single brow. _"Yes… thy mother has strength enough… but only when allowed to meditate upon her memories of love… and of you."_

Anna thought about it and then slowly nodded. "Love conquers all," she whispered.

"_Alas… not eternally, but against the forces of evil… love can be victory."_ The great ape came forward again and his head seemed to fill the entire room.

"_But be thee warned and not far deceived, for love can corrupt no less than hate to waste, and love though present and its presence many a sign, thy mother's other serves but to eternize woe till death in you becomes her final remedy. Even thus in fallen state to her master true, and in latest failure in death shall pay, she will live in thy destruction, though fallen state, content."_

He watched her closely as Anna turned to think.

"_As to the Keeper's question of love, you mother's other did'st reveal her Dark Lord's evil promise more."_

Anna looked at him. "What promise?"

"_Albe't repentance delivered, she doth hope to undo her ruinous failure with many acts done well may'st cover and secure her master's promise… for a new name."_

"I… don't understand."

"_Her Dark Lord intends to end what is left of the Keeper Victoria and thus deliver unto his servant her greatest desire."_

"And what is that?"

"_To serve him - unhampered by the Keeper's thoughts embedded still."_

Anna stared at him. "You're saying… he's going to kill my mother."

"_Thus it is, he will try, but cannot."_

"Why not?"

"_He destroys not that which he knoweth not and __erewhile__ existed as testament to a mother's strength that cannot thusly… be set aside. Strength added from above, the basis resideth, and so it is the one thing the Dark One despaireth without hope to destroy. For doing so wouldeth, Amen, destroy the servant as well, but with evil yet linked. It is this mother's weapon hidden, testament to her daughter true, and rightly so… the answer is thusly given thy question."_

Anna stared at him searchingly.

"_It is love, Keeper. It is her love for you that redeems her quite from evil ambitions and death's covetous clutches still. __Love… and memories kept secret, devoted to heart indeed, conquers all."_

He stared at her, his narrowed eyes suddenly relaxing. _"Dost the Keeper understand us?"_

Anna gazed up at the great ape and then smiled.

The creature's lip curled in a way that taunted gratification before he began to fall back_. "The Keeper is thus… satisfied,"_ he announced loudly, and the jungles behind him began to chatter with excitement. _"We shall cometh again at the time of thy entry to collect once again thy thirst for insight and truth." _

He looked down once more and said, _"Thy mother was once a human set with the greatest love true… for her family, her mate and her daughter still. Her blood- hunger transformation has made her into a creature removed from the hoard, but has not diminished the weapon of love within her." _The gorilla's face folded away within the mist, and the fan of red light immediately closed into a single beam. _"Until thee call unto the hoard once more, the Verosapt bids the Keeper farewell. May the great Creator of all show thee the healing path of acceptance." _The beam of light disappeared within the ruby of YU once more, which closed again with a sharp click.

THREE

Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk at Hogwarts and reading the latest headline from the Daily Prophet. It was dated June twentieth:

**HARRY POTTER VINDICATED!**

The old wizard was smiling, but then frowned at the smaller headline beneath it.

**READERS CALL FOR FUDGE'S RESIGNATION**

"Poor Cornelius."

A moment later, the crimson phoenix perched next to the Headmaster's desk screeched loudly as a tiny owl zoomed in an open window.

Dumbledore looked up and grinned at the bird who was twittering madly as he circled in the high vaulted ceiling. The owl finally landing upon the headmaster's wrist to shake off the morning dew before showing him a bit of parchment tied to its leg. The wizard's blue eyes sparkled as he examined the owl and untied the note.

"Otus Megalotis," he said, knowingly. He unfolded the parchment and smiled again.

"Why… it's from the first Guardian of Castlewood." He looked down at the bird who hopped down upon the desk to nip at the paper.

"Yes… I expect it would be very important, given it was delivered by such an impressive owl." Hobbs puffed up his chest with pride as he glanced over his shoulder at the phoenix staring down at him.

Dumbledore's amusement slowly fell as he read Anna's note.

_Dear Sir, _

_I thought it critical to write to you about some important information that has come into my possession. It's in regard to the subject my father spoke to you about after my first trip to the Ministry of Magic almost one year ago. I think I know where one of the objects that you were discussing might be found._

Dumbledore recalled his conversation with Boris Grayson after Anna freed a trapped soul within the Hall of Wonders; the same soul who had told Anna about Voldemort's horcruxes. The wizard stirred uneasily in his chair before reading on.

_I can only pass on a few words that were delivered to me recently by a source I cannot reveal. I do not understand their meaning or whether they might make a difference in the state of the wizarding world today, but I give them to you with the hope that you might find them meaningful: _

_Look for a ring in __the house of Gaunt._

Staggered, Dumbledore rose from his chair and looked out the window to focus his thoughts, '_The house of Gaunt'? _His eyes widened. "Little Hangleton!" He looked down at the note again.

_I leave this information with my prayer they might be put to good use. I wish you the greatest success in your quest, and please know that you take my admiration and respect with you always._

_Most Sincerely, Anna Grayson._

There was a fire in the headmaster's eyes, as he raised the parchment and then watched it burst into flames.

"Put to good use?" The old wizard slowly lifted his wand from out of his robes and smiled. "I can assure you, my young Guardian, I most certainly will."

With a swooping wave of this arm, there was a loud crack and the Headmaster of Hogwarts was gone.

FOUR

Trog and Glors were arguing in the rain as they walked through the woods.

"I won't have it, no!" Glors argued.

"But she is the one, she is. She hears the voices, she does," Trog argued back.

"She is a human, she is. She does not know these forests or the mountains beyond, she cannot! I will protect my mountain from all intruders, I will! Not some human cub, no!"

"Anna Grayson is the one the voices have chosen, she is, and I know her in my bones. She is honorable and will protect our forest, she will. We must help her!"

"Bah! Are you blinded, Trog? You saw what the wizards did in our forest and to the flying ones. They stole from the nests for gold, they did." Glors howled her frustration at the rain falling down upon them and then turned to knock over a tree with one swipe of her massive horns. "They are all the same, they are. Treacherous wizards – thieves all, they are!"

"The Guardians are different, they are, and she is the one that will lead them. I have seen her honor and the voices say she is the one, she is."

He looked up into the darkening sky and sighed. "I must gather the wood for the fires, I must." He looked around the wet ground and groaned miserably. "It will be difficult to find wood that doesn't smoke, it will."

Trog looked at Glors and could see she was completely wet with rain through to her beard. He heaved remorsefully.

"Come into my cave tonight, you must," he said caringly. "You are rain-wet all over, you are. Let me build a fire to warm your bones."

Glors looked at him and frowned. "The rut has ended, ogre. Where are your senses?"

Trog yanked on his beard angrily. "Warm your bones, I will, nothing more!"

Glors smiled behind his back and then stopped to stare at the clearing in the forest. She sneered and then grumbled back, "You know nothing, do you, when offering the evening fires without remembering to souse those from breakfast?"

Trog frowned and then looked up to see the entrance to his cave in the clearing and the strange green reflection dancing on the inner walls.

"I had no breakfast fires, this morning, I did not," he whispered.

Glors frowned. "Who then is making fires for you?" she growled back. "We will battle tonight if another beard is forgetting the rut has passed, we will!"

The two crept up to the cave's entrance and peeked inside. They could see the strange light was dancing across the ceiling as they entered. In the middle, where a circle of rocks formed a depression used to make his daily fire, Trog could see that somebody had cleared away the old coals and there in the sand sat a small stone with a wick of green flame.

Glors frowned. "Strange, it is." She looked over at him. "How is it that a rock burns, it does, but is not consumed?"

Next to the circle of stones sat a note on one of his sitting stumps. Trog picked up the note and leaned in close to the burning stone to see. The flame on the stone suddenly bloomed and burst into a much larger fire, filling the entire cave with light and welcome warmth. Trog's eyes widened in surprise, for he had seen a stone like this only once before. It was something the wizards called the Ore of Nouméa. The ogre smiled eagerly and then looked down at the note to read:

_Dearest Trog, I hope you will accept this gift in thanks for all you've done for me. I pray it will always keep your cave as warm as the hearts that beat within you. I hope you have a pleasant summer, Trog, my good friend and greatest ogre and know that you have my greatest devotion always. Love, Anna._

Trog smiled as he looked at the flames and at the steam that it caused to his wet clothes. The flames danced in his eyes as he whispered, "Always… warm?" The ogre stepped closer to the flames and watched them bloom once more. The blaze grew larger and hotter as he reached out, until the center of the stones was an inferno of green light that reached nearly to the ceiling.

The ogre didn't know about Anna's second trip to the Hall of Wonders to visit an old witch she had once seen studying a magical object there. A jade cube with drawers of silver and gold, and within each drawer an object of priceless value was kept. Anna remembered seeing a small pebble with a wick of green flame that had whispered a message about the deepest love within her heart. It wasn't until that second visit, however, that Anna realized the magic within this rare ore from Nouméa was talking about Anna's love for her mother. The jade cube was more than willing to surrender all of its contents to magic's Sithmaith, but Anna thought better of raising any suspicions within the _HOW_ if she had nothing in which to trade. So she gave the cube the only treasure she had in her possession… a cross of gold with a centered emerald that hung from a chain around her neck.

Ever since the discussion with her Aunt Helen about Victoria Grayson's possible return, Anna had stopped thinking of the necklace as something that belonged to her. Instead, she had decided to keep it safe for her mother, and what better place to insure its security than in a magical cube within the lowest catacombs of the Ministry of Magic. She insisted, of course, that the magic guarding the contents of the cube understood that no other object should be accepted in trade for her mother's necklace until Anna herself returned one day to reclaim it.

The old witch helping Anna was very surprised that the cube would trade one of only three known pieces of ore from Nouméa for a simple necklace. But, then again, the woman also had to admit that, even after all her years of study, she really didn't understand the magic within the cube at all.

Outside Trog's cave, every creature within a mile could hear a howl of excitement. "Wonderful! Marvelous, it is!" the ogre hollered in jubilation. He started dancing around the building fire, his stomping feet heavy enough to make the ground around his cave shake.

The ogre finally had to step back before he felt himself burst into flames from the heat of the ore and he fell into Glors's open arms. She was impressed by the gift, but amused more by Trog's enthusiastic delight in it.

Trog could feel Glors's body soften against him as she leaned down to whisper into his ear. "I am dry now, husband, and warmed by this unending fire. I will sleep with you until the rains end, I will." She reached around and lovingly tugged on his beard.

Trog smiled and then looked up over his shoulder at her. "But the rut has ended," he whispered softly. "Where are your senses, ogre?"

She growled affectionately into his ear again. "The waning moon is nearly full still, it is, husband." She tugged on his beard again. "And your cave… is very warm."

139


	43. Chapter 41 - Knight Protector of the Dra

Chapter 41D05

Chapter 41 (Draft 05)

Knight Protector of the Dragon's Lair

ONE

John Dell looked out over the vast, fog-filled space before him and smiled. The view reminded him of something Sarah Bell had once described about the snow covered mountains surrounding her home in Minnesota. She said that on the wettest days the fog was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

"White out," John whispered to himself.

He looked down and watched the fog pouring down between his feet and over the cliff's edge in front of him. He laughed and looked up again. _Wait for it,_ he thought excitedly. _Anna said it would be something I would never forget. _

And then, quite suddenly, a warm breeze swept the fog aside and John's jaw dropped in amazement. A deep chasm suddenly fell into full view and the unexpected expanse below took his breath away. The trees embedded in the black outcroppings seemed to explode with color, and between them dozens of copper backed dragons soared in the thermals. They glided up and down in the rising winds, turning and ascending without flapping, like birds of prey on the open ocean. The late sun accentuated the edges along every niche and shelf beautifully; an artist's brush could not have imagined it, or even tried to copy its splendor.

With tears in his eyes, John watched the mothers in the nests tucking their babies beneath their bodies and then turning to heave a breath of fire at the already scorched walls surrounding them. The rock glowed bright orange for a moment and then quickly cooled to black, but he could see the heat radiating over the top of the nests in distorted waves through the air. The dragons were settling in for the night.

There was a rustle of movement to his left and then the distinct sound of barking from the locked crate sitting next to him. The crate shook and banged loudly as John Dell walked over and stooped to look in.

"Calm down. Don't worry… she'll be here shortly." There was another enthusiastic bark within the box.

John braced his hands on his hips and then arched back until his spine clicked and popped. "Oh my goodness… carrying your bloody box all those miles in the forest was murder on my back."

Suddenly, there was a loud crack, a distortion blur of purple light, and Anna Grayson appeared stooped on the edge of the cliff looking down.

"Anna?"

She turned and smiled back at John Dell. "It's beautiful isn't it?" she said, motioning over the cliffs.

John frowned as he came forward. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"How did you Apparate here? I didn't think anybody could do that on the plateau – never mind through the dead zone surrounding the cliffs."

Anna grinned coyly as she straightened to stand.

"Are you telling me you came all the way from California directly to these cliffs?"

Anna noticed the rattling box and smiled. She ran over to peer between the slats. "Hi, sweetie… how are you feeling? Better?" There was another loud bark of excitement as the box shook violently again.

Anna laughed and then stood again as she pointed her purple heart down at the box.

"_Alohomora!" _The large lock on the side instantly shot away and the door fell open to the ground.

"I thought your wand was lost in the battle with _You-Know-Who_," John asked her.

She looked back at him and grinned.

"So you were able to repair it?" He shook his head. "I honestly don't know why you bother carrying it around. It's not like you really need it."

"It's my mother's wand. I'm keeping it safe for her."

A pair of claws shot forward from out of the box and a small dragon dashed out, slamming Anna on the side of her shoulder with one of his wings. She fell to the ground and the dragon immediately pounced on her. She began to laugh as the dragon tried to attack her with his tongue.

"Taurus… stop!" She snorted, trying hard to push him off as the dragon continued looking for openings between her fingers.

"Ah come on, let me up!" Anna laughed. "Enough now… don't make me curse you!" Taurus finally stopped and sat back on his haunches as Anna stood to brush herself off. The creature was wagging his tail madly and snorting smoke.

Anna looked up at John Dell and smiled. "Thanks for bring him out, John."

The man rolled his eyes. "No little thing… that little beasty is getting heavy. If I knew you could Apparate here, I would have told you to bring him yourself!"

Anna smiled back at him. "I'm not very good with peer Apparation yet. We might have arrived splinched."

John looked down at her repaired wand and smirked. "I kind of doubt that."

There was a very long howl in the distance and Anna turned, looking excited. "Oh excellent; the sun is starting to set." She took John Dell by the hand and led the both of them to the cliff's edge. She looked out and then up at him admiringly. "I'm not really sure how this works or what exactly I should say."

John reached into his pocket. "I think I do."

He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to her. "Over the last couple of nights I've had this reoccurring dream and little voices whispering in my head about this moment. They kept repeating the same words over and over again until I finally wrote them down."

Anna opened the parchment and then read the words, "I… Anna Grayson, leader of the Guardians past and present, Sithmaith to magic's cause and protection, hereby grant and assign the position of _Protector_ to John Dell. He is a man of great wisdom and courage…" she frowned and then peered up at him.

John smiled. "Okay… I added that part myself," he whispered.

Anna smiled back and closed her eyes. She suddenly knew the words she wanted to say. "He is a great and gentle man of immense wisdom and courage and worthy of his status. From this moment forward, and until magic commands him otherwise, he is made Knight Protector of the Shadowed Forest, the Cliffs of Knowtor," Anna opened her eyes to smile up at him, "and… the Dragon's Lair!"

A bright glow of white light began to shimmer around John Dell and then his robes were changed from a drab and tattered black to deep purple. A single thread of golden light rose from out of the abyss below the cliffs to stab John in the left shoulder where it began weave itself into the cloth until it had fashioned an embroidery of gold on his robes depicting a dragon.

Taurus hurried over to sniff at John Dell's new robes. The small dragon wagged his tail and then barked happily up at him. There came an enormous screech from the sky above them and two enormous dragons suddenly landed on the edge of the cliff with a loud and bone-jarring thud. One heavy female and a full-size male looked down at the gathering with growling curiosity. The female leaned down nose to nose with John Dell and sniffed at him while the other twisted his neck around to inspect his back and then the embroidery upon his shoulder. The two looked at each other and then rose up to howl loudly into the open sky, and in the chasm below, hundreds of dragons replied with screeching excitement.

John Dell looked down at Taurus still wagging his tail and smirked. "Well… I suppose that makes it official."

"Not quite," Anna replied, reaching out. "Give me your wand."

John frowned and then reached into his pocket to retrieve his wand. Anna took it from him and then gripped it tight in her fist until it glowed with purple light. She closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath before handing it back to him.

"John Dell… you are now Knight Protector of the Lair. I ask that you to guard these cliffs and the magical creatures that live within the forest surrounding us from the chaos that is sure to come."

The man could feel a swift surge of immense power in his wand and a bright flash of purple light suddenly engulfed his entire body. A twisting wind wailed upward from the stone under his feet to lift his hair on end, leaving the man heaving breathlessly and thinking of the day he held his first wand. He smiled eagerly, raised his wand into the air, and said something that caused a jet of red light to ignite into the evening sky.

"The magic is working again!" he said, happily.

Anna slowly hovered into the air to kiss him on the cheek. "The dead zone is still present, John. The magic will only work for the cliff's Knight Protector."

He smiled back at her. "Well thank goodness. I was a little worried about having to hike out of this forest tonight."

The two dragons turned and leapt off the edge of the cliff and the Guardians walked together to survey the beauty all around them.

"Well go on…" Anna said, looking down at Taurus. "You'd better find yourself a nest before all the good ones are taken." Taurus rose up to lick her chin, tilted back, and sprang into the air. They could see the dragon was already becoming expert flyer as he turned, tuck his wings, and disappeared into the mist below.

Anna and John looked out at the distant mountain wreathed in a circle of purple clouds and smiled at the last dragons soaring their way home.

"Remember what I said, Anna," John said, still admiring the view. "I can't stay here forever… when do you think she'll be ready to take over for me?"

Anna looked up at him. "I really don't know, John. I haven't even spoken to her about it, and she's only just finished her second year at Castlewood. She can't be the protector here until after she finishes her studies. Do you think you'll be able to stay that long?"

John Dell looked down at her. "From what I saw of Sarah Bell in battle," he returned to watch the incoming dragons again, "she'll be worth the wait. Who would have thought one so small could be so courageous."

Anna smiled in agreement.

"In the meantime," John continued, "the Shadowed Forest isn't known to be the most hospitable place on the planet, and who really knows if the poachers have really given up trying to make a profit. I might need some backup every now and then." He turned the jade ring around on his finger. "Are we agreed?"

Anna was amused. "You? Of all people… want me to be your backup?"

Another dragon suddenly landed on the ledge next to Anna with a crumbling thud. The large male spread his wings wide as it screeched loudly and then twisted its head upside down to sniff at her. He snorted his approval with a shot of flames from his nostrils and then stepped off the cliff again. Anna watched the beast gliding into the fog and John grunted.

"Yeah… I think you'd make for a pretty good backup."

They turned together to watch the final hues of fading light begin to darken and Anna sat down on the cliff's edge to take in the remaining beauty surrounding them. She closed her eyes as a shivering thought came into her mind. Voldemort was the most terrifying wizard the world had ever known, but Anna also thought the Dark Lord had made her mission for magic's sake abundantly clear. She would do everything within her power to stop him from abusing and destroying these rare and wonderful places and the beasts and magical creatures living within them.

_But he's so powerful._

How could she and her fellow Guardians hope to keep him from dominating the entire world? How could they even expect to keep him away? Even more challenging was the other question she had asked herself the moment she heard the news that her father had become the Minister of Magic: how could she remain to the side of the battle to come when her own father was now a target of Voldemort's madness? Her father, together with Dumbledore, Thordarson and the rest of the wizard world's leaders were all at risk. How could she remain neutral when she was living under the same roof with one of the leaders of the wizarding world? How could her brother Eric stand to the side if their family was put in danger? It was impossible to think it likely … but Anna knew it would be necessary if they were to succeed, and it wouldn't be long before the Guardians of Castlewood would be tested again. Anna opened her eyes and looked up at the first stars breaking through the twilight.

_Dear Lord… I pray for the strength needed in the battles ahead. Protect my father, my mother and my family from the evil working against us and the wizarding world. Protect the Guardians as they seek to protect your most wondrous creations and the gifts that surround us everywhere, and hold close those who have already passed in the hope of a better life_.

The vision around her began to fade as Anna Grayson finished her prayer with a whispered, "Amen."

Epilog

When Anna opened her eyes again, she found herself sitting alone on an outcropping of rock overlooking the Cliffs of Knowtor thirty years later.

"Yes," she whispered, "That was quite a year." Anna breathed deep at the thermals racing up the cliff wall and smiled. She looked down and found herself turning the jade bracelet on her wrist and smiling lovingly. "There were so many good friends lost in the years that followed…" she looked up at the mountain in the distance and the dragons soaring in a circle around its summit, "so many battles fought and so much taken that was never recovered." She heaved and then smiled as she stood again.

"This… is… such a beautiful place," she whispered admiringly.

Her eyes dropped expectantly as her old battle-weathered friend rose up from out of the fog once more.

Taurus screeched loudly as his great wings flapped up and down and then shook his head to bark down at her once more.

Anna smiled and then turned to look back at the spot where Sarah Bell had disappeared a few hours earlier.

"Well… I don't know… I'm expected for dinner tonight," she told the great bull.

The dragon barked again beckoningly and then flapped backward over the abyss below them.

Anna laughed. "Okay-Okay. I never could refuse you, you old bat!"

The dragon barked again excitedly and twisted his head upside down at her.

"But if you make me late for Sarah's dinner, you'll have her to answer to!"

Anna closed her eyes and set her chin. She slowly lifted her arms and her entire body started to grow. Her image began to distort and blur from the magic billowing from out of her body and her black robes stretched and lengthened to form leathery wings. Her neck elongated and became horned and her chest ballooned and was covered in copper-colored scales. Huge legs lifted her up and a tail extended from out of her back. The distortions in the air finally ended and Anna stood over the Cliffs of Knowtor, the largest dragon the Lair had ever seen. Her growls deepened as she looked out to see Taurus barking madly.

The great bull looked down at the massive beast that had been both his mother and friend for so many years and noticed the ugly wound carved into her belly. It was a scare in the shape of a bolt of lightning from some long forgotten battle so many years ago. The Vipertooth barked once more, folded his wings and suddenly dropped into the thick clouds below them.

Anna watched him go and then rose up to bellow loudly. Her giant head swayed side to side and her mouth opened to eject a stream of purple flames a hundred feet into the air. All of the dragons in the cliffs below stood in her nests and roared back while some leapt into the air to take flight.

Anna jumped into the air as well, tearing off huge chunks of rock under her clawed feet as she began to flap in place. Her scaled brow furrowed as her eyes peered through the fog below to watch Taurus looking to flee between the gaps in the cliff. Her growls rumbled in a way that sounded strangely like laughter as she tilted over to dive down after him. Twenty seconds later she batted Taurus on top of the head with one of her wings as she passed over the top of him and then glided up to clear the cliffs once more. The two turned together and headed north, their copper backs gleaming in the setting sun.

Within the contented howls surrounding him, a baby dragon struggled to stand and peer out over the edge of its nest. His eyes widened at the sight of a huge dragon in the distance, heading toward a mountain wreathed in a crown of clouds and a dozen dragons following her in close formation behind her.

End

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